DOHA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands hoped that its strong ties with Qatar would create new business ventures and development opportunities, the official Qatar news agency (QNA) reported Wednesday.
Andre Driessen, director of international enterprises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Netherlands, made the remarks on Tuesday at a horticulture match-making event between Dutch horticulture companies and potential Qatari investors in Doha, the report said.
Driessen noted that the bilateral trade volume has exceeded 1 billion U.S. dollars, as many Dutch companies and institutes with world-renowned names actually call Qatar home.
He added that the Netherlands is also home to some Qatari investors and companies such as Katara Hospitality and Muntajat.
"Both countries are enjoying excellent economic relations due to joint interests and commitment for their people. Qatar has embarked on a project, a big road to sustainability in the future and I think our interests meet and we can do a lot of things together," Driessen said.
Qatar has strengthened ties with the European and other Western countries in all fields especially after the Gulf crisis erupted on June 5, when the four Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with the oil-rich country and imposed a blockade on it.
The quartet accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and extremism, but Doha has strongly denied the charges.
