Qatar, a rich Arab country of 11,586 square meters with a per capita production of almost $ 73,700 annually in 2015 (about ¢ 42 million, according to data from the World Bank), showed interest in investing in Costa Rica in the areas of tourism, Environment, and connectivity.
This was announced by Chancellor Manuel Gonzalez after a working tour of this Middle Eastern State along with the Deputy Director of Foreign Policy, Francisco Chacón; And the ambassador in that country, Luis Guillén.
There, they met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani; The Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani; The Foreign Minister of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other representatives of the royal family and the government of Qatar.
During the meeting, it was agreed that the Prime Minister will send a high-level mission that will include representatives of investment, development, tourism and hotel funds, to carry out an investigation and determine what investments could be made in Costa Rica.
The Catamaran authorities said they were aware that there was no foreign direct investment in our country and hoped that this would change soon.
In addition, Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways, will explore new possibilities for air connectivity between the two countries in different ways, which could mean an increase in catarí tourism in the national territory.
Help affected by Otto
At the meeting, they also discussed the ravages of Hurricane Otto in our territory. The Costa Rican Foreign Minister delivered a list of needs of communities affected by the disaster, which was prepared by the National Emergency Commission.
The mission of Qatar that will visit the country soon will also evaluate the damages caused by the emergency and will analyze possible ways to cooperate with the communities that still live their consequences.
The United Arab Emirates, another rich country in the Middle East, contributed ¢ 5.5 billion in no reimbursable funds to the emergency. The country is looking for more funds.
Also football
The emir of Qatar has a particular interest in football. He owns the Paris Saint-Germain team and one of the sponsors of the Barcelona Fútbol Club.
For this reason, during the meeting, the possibility of setting up a friendly match between Costa Rica and Qatar teams was raised. In addition, the emir remembered with affection the Costa Rican player Paulo César Wanchope, who played in the catarí team Al-Gharafa.