Press Releases
U.S.-Qatari Trade Delegations Flourish
May 13, 2009
At an event hosted by the Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC) in Houston, Texas, Ambassador LeBaron briefed executives representing sectors as diverse as health care, security, the legal sector and education about commercial opportunities between Qatar and the United States. Qatar’s Consul General in Houston, Mr. Rashid al-Khater, also attended the event.
During the delegation’s visit to the United States, BUSACC, the Greater Houston Partnership, and Qatar Airways also announced plans for a delegation of economic development officials and tour operators to visit Qatar in late May to explore ways of increasing tourism between the two countries.
Mr. David Phillips, Chairman of BUSACC, announced that BUSACC would organize a trade delegation from the United States to Qatar in October.
Ambassador LeBaron noted that more than 100 American companies now operate in Qatar and those trading partnerships are the main reason why, since 2003, U.S. exports to Qatar increased more than 300 percent, making America Qatar’s largest import partner. Over the same period, overall trade between the two countries jumped almost 500 percent.
“Over more than three decades in the region, I have seen American companies building the partnerships, taking the risks, and making the long-term commitments that lead to meaningful economic development,” the Ambassador said. “That is why our trading relationships are so important to our strategic relationship with Qatar.”