On the parliamentarian level and within the context of exchanged visits between Doha and Stockholm, HE Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti visited the Swedish Parliament in July 2022, upon the invitation of the parliament, during which Her Excellency and the members of the delegation were briefed on the Swedish Parliament's experience in parliamentary work with the aim of exchanging expertise in this field.
On the commercial level, trade discussions are held between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Sweden on a regular basis, and trade and economic relations between the two countries have developed in recent years. Trade exchange between the two countries has witnessed a growth of 79 percent in 2023, reaching roughly QAR 1.55 billion, compared to QAR 866 million in 2022.
In May, Qatar Chamber (QC) discussed trade and industrial cooperation relations with Sweden, and ways to enhance partnership, especially in the sectors of food, agriculture, energy, information technology, and others. During that meeting, HE Chairperson of QC Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani met with a delegation of Swedish businesspersons and urged Swedish companies to invest in Qatar, highlighting its position as a leading global hub for investment and business, given that Qatar owns a world-class infrastructure, a pro-investment environment, and stimulating economic legislation that allows non-Qatari investors to own 100 percent capital in most economic sectors.
HE Chairperson of QC also said that many Swedish companies operate in Qatar, wholly owned or in partnership with Qatari firms, pointing out that the Qatari market highly welcomes more Swedish companies. He indicated that Qatari business owners aspire to foster cooperation with their Swedish counterparts by establishing new commercial alliances and joint industrial ventures.
The economic and trade consultations and meetings between Qatari businesspersons and their Swedish counterparts showed the interest of both parties in exploring prospects for cooperation in the fields of renewable energy, recycling, extracting biogas from waster, water treatment, food security, artificial intelligence, advanced technology and innovation. The consultations also showed the Swedish companies' aspiration to learn about the investment climate in Qatar and the available opportunities, and to enhance cooperation relations between the private sector in the two countries.
Sweden is located in the far north of the globe, and it is the third largest country in the European Union, with an area of more than 450,000 square kilometers, and a population of more than 140 million people. Sweden is characterized by a diversified and highly competitive economy, and it ranked fourth in the 2022 Global Competitiveness Ranking, after Denmark, Switzerland and Singapore.
In addition to maintaining competitiveness in goods and manufacturing, Sweden's economy is characterized by strong growth in service sectors, such as Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Sweden has a long history of innovation, having been ranked first in the European Innovation Index several times.
Researchers and companies in Sweden have particularly excelled in green technology, life sciences, and green energy. About 98 percent of electricity is generated from non-fossil energy sources, with renewable energy sources accounting for more than 70 percent of this energy, while the rest comes from nuclear energy. Stockholm's government aims to produce electricity entirely from non-fossil energy sources by 2040.
Sweden has a great natural and climatic diversity, and is distinguished by its long coastline, vast forests, and many lakes. Sweden, where the sun never sets from late-May to mid-July, is visited annually by tens of thousands of tourists from all around the globe. (QNA)