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QNA
Doha
The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani will pay an official visit to France on Thursday.
The Amir will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the prospects of developing close cooperation between Qatar and France. They will also discuss several regional and international issues.
The Amir will be accompanied by an official delegation.
The visit of the Amir, the second in less than a year, underscores the importance of bilateral relations that promote their common interests.
The visit underscores Qatar's outstanding role in the international arena as well as its standing in the world's leading decision-making capitals.
The visit will be particularly important given the issues that will be discussed by the Amir and the French president.
The summit is set to address the deep-rooted ties of friendship and strategic relations between Doha and Paris and the importance of supporting them in various fields for the benefit of the two countries.
They will also exchange views on the latest regional and international developments.
During the visit, the Amir will meet with a number of senior French officials, and a number of agreements will be signed in several fields.
Bilateral relations between Qatar and France are witnessing a qualitative leap.
The Amir and the French President have built upon the already deep and distinguished relations in the various sectors. Ties can also be characterised as open, credible as well as strategic.
The Amir's visit to France on September 14 of 2017 was a particular boost to ties as it was his first foreign tour since the blockade was imposed on Qatar.
Relations between the two countries have been growing since the early nineties in the fields of security and economy.
Qatar's desire to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on gas revenues has led to the expansion of cooperation with France in various fields and contributed to the signing of agreements and contracts in the fields of economy and education.
The visit of the French president to Doha on December 7 last year helped consolidate the existing partnership between Qatar and France.
The economic relations between Qatar and France are strong as France is one of the preferred destinations for Qatari investors.
The value of Qatari investments in France is estimated at $30 billion, including private investments amounting to $10 billion.
France is the seventh-largest economic partner of Qatar. Doha is one of France's leading trading partners in the Gulf region and a destination for French companies seeking to invest in the region.
There are more than 200 French companies investing in different sectors of the Qatari market.
French companies continue their work in World Cup infrastructure-related projects.
The two countries signed contracts worth 16 billion Euros in the fields of defence, transport, aircraft and pollution control during the visit of the French president to Doha in December, 2017.
The cooperation between France and Qatar in the fields of security and defence is the cornerstone of their bilateral cooperation.
The French president announced during his visit to Doha last December that he signed several deals worth 12 billion euros.
Last September, the Qatari Amiri Navy carried out a joint maritime exercise with the French Navy for two days in the territorial waters of Qatar.
The aim of the exercise was to combat terrorism, piracy of the sea and the protection of oil installations and shipping lines.
The visit of the French president culminated in the signing of several agreements between the two countries to combat terrorism and its financing.
The two countries signed a declaration of intent and a joint road map, in addition to establishing the first bilateral dialogue between the two countries on this subject at the end of 2017.
The large presence of highly experienced French companies in a number of projects in Qatar will contribute to the promotion of development and economic diversification, which are the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Investments are likely to increase with World Cup 2022 approaching in order to complete several infrastructure projects such as the metro.
