Cairo, December 14 (QNA) - HE Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Eng. Hassan El Khatib, Sunday, affirmed the State of Qatar and his country's keenness to establish joint mechanisms that would enable the doubling of Qatari investments in Egypt in the coming period.

In a statement to the Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the sidelines of the Egyptian-Qatari Investment Forum held in the Egyptian capital, His Excellency noted that Qatari investments in Egypt are on the rise, and that both countries are capable of doubling current investment figures in the coming period by putting in place joint mechanisms to achieve this goal.

The Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade emphasized the forum's importance to enhancing bilateral investment opportunities, adding that such forums are at the heart of efforts seeking to promote investment.

Governments' primary role is to set policies and implement needed structural reforms that would then encourage the private sector to lead investments and trade between the two countries, His Excellency added.

Eng. El Khatib said that relations between both countries are more than special, expressing a desire for ties to reach a strategic level.

The trade volume could increase significantly, which is why various mechanisms that can boost it together with investments were discussed.

In this context, His Excellency pointed out that there is an opportunity that should be leveraged, as Egypt is a major hub that possesses strong production competitiveness, while Qatar serves as a key gateway to Asian markets, which are large markets that can be accessed by strengthening bilateral cooperation. (QNA)