Ambassador of Portugal to Qatar HE Paulo Neves Pocinho joined his countrymen recently at a gathering in the embassy premises to show harmony and unity.
HE Pocinho was earlier the ambassador in Islamabad before taking charge in Qatar in 2022, just before the historical World Cup tournament hosted by the State of Qatar.
Portuguese community initiative ‘Gente da nossa Terra’ (People of our land) has started recently with the aim of bringing the Portuguese expat community in Qatar together by organising social and cultural events under the umbrella of the Portuguese embassy in Qatar.
Portuguese business community and professionals and Gente da nossa Terra also initiated steps to establish Portuguese Business Council Qatar. The gathering gave them an opportunity to discuss and introduce themselves to the embassy officials as well as to the entire community members.
In his address to the community members, ambassador Pocinho said he had the opportunity to witness dynamism, youth and energy in the community starting with the enormous and fervent support given to the national team during the FIFA 2022 World Cup, which made him very proud as a Portuguese citizen and as an ambassador.
“The leadership and organisational skills demonstrated at that moment were certainly the germ of what began to be born next. This sparked a desire to get to know the Portuguese community in Qatar. The role of Portuguese fans of Qatar during the World Cup, as well the new initiative Gente da nossa Terra and the Portuguese Business Council in helping each other to organise and promote initiatives together has tremendous potential,” he said.
Gente da nossa Terra (People of our Land) is an initiative of dedicated community leader Ms. Elisabete Reis of the group ‘Portugal Fans Qatar 2022’, and this helped connect the Portuguese fans of different nationalities based in Qatar at a fast pace, setting the ball rolling on different fronts.
Ana Teixeira said, “There are many ideas that we would like to put into practice. Step by step, we will try to boost initiatives in favor of our community interaction. Festive dates, workshops, cultural activities, are some of the examples.”
The Portuguese Business Council (PBC) was established in Qatar on 20 June 2016 with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations between Portugal and Qatar, mainly in the economic and cultural fields offering support and help to people of both countries.
The new management members of the Portuguese Business Council are Francisco Miguel deSousa (Chairman), Carlos Xavier (Vice President Corporate Affairs), Fernando Antunes (Treasurer) and Manuel Ramalho (Vice President International Affairs).
Francisco Miguel De Sousa said, “The Portuguese Business Council believes in the importance of increasing the share of Portuguese products and services in the local market and the promotion of the activities of these companies. It provides an informal networking platform through which the companies can develop their businesses, in addition to promoting participation in various local and international trade fairs and forums organised in Qatar. All Portuguese or foreign companies, as well as citizens and residents in Qatar, can be part of this institution.”
