Restarting relations with Qatar

Antonis Samaras is currently meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and afterwards will meet with the Crown Prince of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

At 12:00 he will attend the business conference and sign the agreement for setting up a business council between Greece and Qatar.

Then he will visit the artificial island created in Qatar, the Museum of Islamic Art and finally the new airport, the construction of which is aided by Greek companies.

Restarting relations with Qatar

Greek premier Antonis Samaras underlined as a key objective of his visit to Doha the effort to attract investments from Qatar. "The visit is more important than any made in the past," Qatari premier Al Thani said, and both agreed that this meeting marks the restart of relations between the two countries.

Samaras said the main goal of his visit is to "bring the State of Qatar closer to the investment opportunities offered by Greece." They discussed concrete steps to be taken in the near future in the fields of tourism, energy, natural gas, electricity and construction.

"Finding serious investors is not easy, and we are serious investors and friends as well. We prefer interstate agreements as they are fairer and more efficient for both sides, but we know the European commitments of Greece," Al Thani said. Qatar's prime minister made ​​special reference to the intention to participate with Greece in creating a fund to finance Greek SMEs. He mentioned Italy as an example of a corresponding agreement in which the two states have put 1 billion euros.

The meeting took place in a very good atmosphere that marks the intention of both countries to create a solid base for the future. They signed three memoranda on the fields of culture, sport and development. Samaras said the two countries can contribute to stability in the region and that "the relationship can be a bridge with our neighbors in the Middle East and Europe."

Meeting with Erdogan

Samaras was also asked about the meeting with Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was also in Doha for talks with the Qatari government. Samaras said the two countries are allies in NATO and "there are problems in their relationships, but also a will to solve them."

He added that on March 5 he will travel to Ankara for a joint meeting of the two cabinets. When asked if he raised the EEZ issue Samaras replied they only briefly touched upon the issues to be further discussed at the ministerial meeting of the two sides in the Turkish capital.

Other issues discussed were the recent amendment for the sacred teachers in the minority, the creation of a mosque in Athens and on the Greek part, the sovereignty of Greece's marine zones.