Ties are strengthened due to two-way economic interests
In the light of the geopolitical imbalances created by Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the need for the Czech Republic to find concrete independence from Russian gas is very strong. In this regard, Petr Fiala’s government is looking for an alternative route to take, and the most optimal one seems to be the one that leads to Qatar. This, in fact, represents one of the world’s leading producers of liquefied natural gas; the players have interests that drive them towards a point of convergence. Thus, in the summer, the Qatari ruler Emir Tamim ibn Hamad Al-Sani is scheduled to arrive in Prague.
Relations with Qatar are developing in several ways: the opening of embassies in both countries no longer appears to be a mirage. The opening of the Czech embassy in the Qatari capital Doha, scheduled for the beginning of July, is being watched very closely. In this regard, Deputy Foreign Minister Jiří Kozák said: ‘Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters. There is no big business in this field without official (state) support. For the EU in general and the Czech Republic in particular, the establishment of an embassy in Doha, Qatar, is a very important step’. The opening of the Qatari embassy in Prague appears less straightforward: in fact, the latter considers a solid cooperation with the Czech Republic to be essential in order to protect its investments in the country. In detail, this cooperation consists of an agreement based on the avoidance of double taxation, which is currently being drafted by the Finance Ministries of both countries. In this regard, MP Kozák made the following statement: “Qatar has declared its interest in opening a resident embassy in Prague soon. The text of the double taxation agreement has already been negotiated and the agreement will be signed by the finance ministers at the first opportunity, both during the negotiations in Qatar and in the Czech Republic. Technical meetings of experts from the Finance Ministries of both countries on the agreement for the protection and support of investments have been initiated”.
Source: http://www.connexionblog.com
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