Afghan President Hamid Karzai met a delegation of Qatar’s businessmen in Kabul and urging them to invest in Afghanistan, Karzai’s office said. The Qatari delegation comprised of Sheikh Ali Bin Abdullah Al Thani, Deputy of Qatar Traders Union and cousin to Emir of Qatar, Qatari banker Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani Al Thani and Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, Minister of State. The delegation was led by Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, one of Qatar’s leading entrepreneurs and Chairman of Qatari Business Association. Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal and the Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industries Anwarul Haq Ahadi were also at the meeting and discussed about business opportunities including energy and water, banking, hotels, buildings, agriculture and healthcare in Afghanistan with the Qatari businessmen, Karzai’s office said in a statement. “The president interacted with the Qatari businessmen who were willing to invest in Afghanistan,” the statement said. The Qatari delegation said that a technical group will visit Afghanistan after Ramadan to assess business opportunities in the region. This development has happened after the Afghan President’s three-day visit to India in May, during which he called for more Indian investments in Afghanistan. Karzai had called for Indian investment in critical sectors such as healthcare, telecom, agri-business and infrastructure. In an interaction with a group of chief executives of various companies, Karzai spoke about the emerging business opportunities in Afghanistan and asked the Indians to benefit from a business friendly regime and a balanced investment climate.
