Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras begins an official visit to Qatar on Tuesday afternoon, during which he will meet with his Qatari counterpart and the Emir of Qatar aiming at enhancing economic relations between the two countries and attracting investments to Greece.
Two accords will be signed during the meeting, one setting up a Greece-Qatar Business Council, which has been drafted by the Federation of Greek Industries (SEB) and an inter-state cultural cooperation accord.
Samaras, who arrived in Doha on Monday evening accompanied by several ministers and a 40-member business delegation, aims at attracting investments to Greece and rekindling Qatari investment interest.amna
Samaras will meet with the prime minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, on Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday he will meet with the heir apparent to the Qatari throne, the Crown Prince of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Khalifa Al Thani, followed by a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, after which he will attend the signing of the agreement for the establishment of a Greece-Qatar Business Council.
The Greek premier will also attend a lunch hosted by Arab businessmen.amna
Samaras will further visit the Museum of Islamic Art before departing Qatar on Wednesday evening.
Samaras is accompanied Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis, Defence Minister Panos Panatiotopoulos, Tourism Minister Olga Kefaloyianni, deputy development minister Notis Mitarakis, deputy energy minister Asimakis Papageorgiou, foreign ministry secretary general Panagiotis Mihalos, state deputy Chryssanthos Lazaridis, and Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED) CEO Yiannis Emiris.amna
The agenda of the discussions focuses on all issues of mutual interest, including energy, Greek state property denationalizations and tourism investments.
Although Qatar prefers direct inter-state agreements in its areas of interest, the Greek side has stipulated that, at least with respect to participation in the denationalizations and privatizations, investment interest must be manifested via the relevant international tenders.
The members of the large business delegation, representing a wide range of activities, are expected to close or at least prepare deals with their Qatari counterparts.
Also in Doha are senior executives of four large Greek banks -- National Bank of Greece (NBG), Piraeus Bank, Eurobank and Alpha Bank, Hellenic Defence Systems S.A. President and Managing Director Konstantinos Pilalis, and New Acropolis Museum president Dimitris Pantermalis. (AMNA)
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