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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
Nepalese migrant workers engaged in the ongoing projects are treated well in Qatar, the country's top diplomat in Doha has said.
Nepal's Ambassador to Qatar HE Ramesh Prasad Koirala told Qatar Tribune that there were very few instances of labour-related issues and he was quite satisfied with the overall condition of Nepalese in Qatar.
"Qatar has introduced many amendments in its law and brought out several policy reforms to ensure that expatriate workers are treated very well in the country. These steps are very positive and already working for Qatar to achieve its goal," Koirala said.
The envoy said Qatari authorities were very supportive in solving issues related to Nepalese workers.
"Whenever I approach Qatari authorities with an issue related to any Nepali worker, they try to solve it immediately. The kind of support we are getting from Qatari authorities is very positive," the envoy said.
Besides workers, Koirala said the Qatari authorities were also supportive in addressing issues of the large Nepalese community in the country.
"We have received a very positive response from various Qatari authorities in our bid to open first Nepalese school in Qatar. Talks are on to identify the place where the school will be situated. We are expected to finalise land for the school very soon. The school is expected to be functional next year," the envoy said.
Koirala said that work on setting up 'Nepal House' in Qatar is also on track with the support of Qatari authorities.
The envoy said many initiatives are also being taken to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries.
A delegation of Qatar's private sector will be visiting Nepal in August this year to explore the possibility of setting up a mineral water plant in the Himalayas.
"Nepal is rich in natural mineral water which is very pure and healthy. Some Qatari business groups are in advanced stages of talks to set up water bottling plant and sell the mineral water products in the Qatari market," he said.
Nepali authorities are also upbeat about this project, the envoy said, adding that high level of cooperation between the two countries would very soon see Nepali mineral water bottles enter Qatar's market.
The ambassador added that Nepal is also looking to export larger volume of organic fruits and vegetables to Qatar.
Given the strengthening ties between the two countries, the envoy said the trade volume between the two countries is very less.
To address this issue, he said a large delegation of businessmen from Nepal is expected to visit Qatar this year to have business to business (B2B) meetings with their Qatari counterparts.
The meeting will be aimed at bringing the business communities of the two countries closer and form joint ventures to enhance trade, the envoy said.
The envoy said that Nepal is also seeking jobs for its skilled and semi-skilled workers in Qatar's growing job market.
