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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
QATAR and the Netherlands are partners in contributing to peace and justice and in business development, according to HE Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Qatar.
The official said the two countries connect, inspire and complement each other across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, energy, infrastructure, sports and healthcare.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, she underscored the potential for growth in the relations of the two countries and expressed the desire of the Netherlands Embassy in helping to deepen the cooperation between Qatar and the Netherlands in a wide array of fields of mutual interest that bind the two countries together.
"Qatar and the Netherlands have some striking similarities. Both countries are relatively small in size but with great ambitions, open to the sea, outward-looking and share an unstoppable drive for innovation. We treasure the close bonds that our countries, royal families, companies and people have forged over time. Qatar and the Netherlands are partners for peace, justice and business development," Ambassador Tahzib-Lie said.
"The Netherlands is one of top investors in Qatar. When it comes to business, the Netherlands has more to offer than tulips, wooden shoes and windmills. Dutch companies like Arcadis, Strukton, Philips Lightening and Philips Healthcare, are involved in some of the key mega projects in Qatar. And of course Shell invested almost $20 billion into Qatar. Shell has developed partnerships with Qatar Petroleum, Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) to work on the world's largest GTL plant and one of the most complex and challenging energy projects ever commissioned," she added.
Ambassador Tahzib-Lie further said that trade relations between the two countries remains stable during the past years which is around 800 million Euros. She said the Dutch export to Qatar increased 33 percent during 2017 to reach 526 million Euros in 2017, compared to 395 million Euros during 2016. While Dutch import from Qatar consists of 266 million Euros, and are mostly related to LNG.
In the field of peace and international justice, the Dutch official underlined that both countries work well together in the international fora including the United Nations (UN) to advance the international legal order and try to ensure accountability when unspeakable atrocities are committed.
Ambassador Tahzib-Lie added,"For the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United Nations is and will remain the main worldwide organisation for peace, justice and development. The city of The Hague hosts the world's main legal bodies including the UN International Court of Justice and is known as the 'legal capital of the world'. We are therefore proud to have a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2018 and this month [March], the Kingdom of the Netherlands is chairing the UNSC."
The envoy, who is a staunch advocate of empowerment of women, also praised the initiative of the Netherlands as President of the UN Security Council to convince most Security Council members to designate female representatives to the chamber on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8. She termed the move as historic and an important statement on having women's voices heard at negotiating tables for peace.
