Lithuania’s doors open to Qatar

VILNIUS - Continuing her working visit in Qatar, President Dalia Grybauskaite met on April 30 with His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, reports ELTA.
The meeting focused on the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, innovation and high technologies, including the introduction of the LNG terminal, which is being developed in Lithuania, and the discussion of the possibilities to supply gas to Lithuania.

This is the first time in over twenty years that economic relations have been established with the country which is one of the richest in the world. In previous meetings, the leaders of Qatar had expressed their political consent to negotiations on gas supply into Lithuania, and the ministers of energy and specialists of both countries had been assigned the task to coordinate all technical details. Upon voicing mutual interest in cooperating in the energy sphere, actual negotiations have commenced between Klaipedos Nafta and the largest global LNG supplier Qatargas.

“Lithuania is famous for innovation and high-tech development. Modern technologies, solar cells, lasers, biotechnologies, communication and information technologies, and research are the spheres which open vast opportunities for economic relations with Qatar,” Grybauskaite said.
Qatar’s prime minister assured that the agreements, which will open the doors to economic cooperation, trade and investments of the two countries, would be drafted without any delay.

Lithuania is looking to Qatar, which plans to allocate $30 billion for investments per year, as a potential investor. Lithuania offers attractive investment opportunities as a country known for its high-tech business developments and qualified specialists.

Qatar is the second highest per capita income country in the world, with 19 percent economic growth last year.