Despite Blockade Against Qatar, GCC Ministers Meet to Discuss Economy, Trade in Oman

Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari has chaired Qatar’s delegation at the GCC’s Trade Cooperation Committee’s 57th meeting and the Industrial Cooperation Committee’s 45th meeting, which kicked off in Muscat on Wednesday.

The meetings were preceded by preparatory meetings that brought together the undersecretaries of the Ministries of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday in Muscat to discuss the work mechanisms within the framework of the GCC’s Ministerial Committees, MoCI said in a statement.

The agenda of the Trade Cooperation Committee’s meeting featured a number of topics of common interest that were the focus of discussions and decision-making. 

The ministers discussed topics relating to e-commerce and efforts to activate joint GCC action in the field of trade.

In a bid to encourage new initiatives, the ministers also discussed entrepreneurial and innovative initiatives undertaken by small and medium sized enterprises across GCC states as well as efforts to bolster the contribution of these enterprises to economic development in addition to providing support and creating an attractive environment for these initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Cooperation Committee discussed a number of issues of interest to the GCC’s industrial sector, particularly the difficulties that the steel manufacturing sector is facing. In this context, the committee discussed the role of the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting and its contribution to industrial development.

The committee’s meeting also touched on the member states’ implementation of the rules for giving priority in government procurement to national products in GCC states. 

The committee also discussed the evaluation report on industrial conferences and related exhibitions. 

On another note, the ministers discussed the amendments introduced to exempt industrial inputs from customs duties and developments relating to investigations into harmful practices, appeals and customs duties.