The federal government of Qatar has rejected the request of the Nigerian authorities to carry a Enterprise and Funding Discussion board (BIF) when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visits the nation in March.
A letter by the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Abuja, addressed to the Ministry of International Affairs and dated February 22, 2024, acknowledged that Qatar had no working enterprise settlement with Nigeria.
“The upcoming state go to of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Qatar from March 2 to three, 2024, and close to your word: Ref: ME.6312024, dated February 12, 2024, proposed the holding of a Enterprise and Funding Discussion board on the margins of Mr President’s go to to Qatar on March 2, 2024.
“The embassy has the honour to tell that the Ministry of Commerce and Trade in Qatar apologised that it will not be capable to maintain a enterprise and funding discussion board as proposed by the Nigerian aspect because of the following purpose: Sadly, there isn’t any settlement signed between Qatar and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Funding Promotion and Safety,” a part of the letter acknowledged.
It additionally claimed that Qatar’s minister of commerce and business could be finishing up official missions exterior the nation throughout Tinubu’s go to interval.
“The State of Qatar shall be internet hosting an internet summit through the prompt interval and the state’s authorities shall be preoccupied with this occasion,” the letter added.
Tinubu will nonetheless journey to Doha – Ministry
In the meantime, the Ministry of International Affairs has mentioned that President Tinubu will nonetheless embark on a State Go to to Doha, Qatar in March as scheduled.
A press release by the spokesperson of the ministry, Francisca Omayuli mentioned, “The Ministry of International Affairs needs to tell that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) will embark on a State Go to to Qatar from 2nd – third March, 2024 to additional cement the wonderful relations current between the 2 nations.
“In the course of the go to, discussions shall be held on the highest degree, on a variety of bilateral and financial points.
“The President shall be accompanied on the journey by the Honourable Minister of International Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar (OON), amongst another ministers and prime authorities officers.”
The assertion added that “The ministry is conscious of the circulation of a diplomatic correspondence on social media and needs to state that it’s going to not touch upon leaks.”
When contacted earlier yesterday, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Particular Assistant on Media and Communication Technique to the Minister of International Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, had mentioned the problems raised within the letter had been resolved and overtaken by occasions.
He mentioned the presidential state go to was not affected, and blamed “mischief makers and unpatriotic Nigerians” for the leak of the “word verbale.”
He mentioned, “The letter is a ‘word verbale’, which is the suitable medium of diplomatic correspondence and engagement. Presidential state visits contain quite a few actions, together with requests for bilateral aspect conferences on the margins of predominant occasions.
“This does not have an effect on the presidential state go to; and furthermore, the problems raised within the letter have been resolved and overtaken by occasions.
“The leak is the handiwork of mischief makers and unpatriotic Nigerians.”
In the identical vein, the Presidency in an announcement by a presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, famous that President Tinubu was by no means snubbed, describing the leaked letter because the handiwork of mischief makers.
He mentioned, “The leaked diplomatic paper by mischief makers about an funding discussion board isn’t in any method a snub on President Tinubu by the Qatari authorities.
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“The Notice Verbale is a couple of personal sector-led enterprise and funding discussion board to be held on the margins of President Bola Tinubu’s state go to.
“The occasion is being put collectively by the Nigerian Affiliation of Chambers of Commerce, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Qatar’s Chambers of Commerce and Trade, the place enterprise folks from Nigeria will have interaction their counterparts from Qatar on business and funding alternatives out there in each nations.
“We word the sturdy bilateral relationship between our two nations and affirm that the state go to by President Bola Tinubu to Qatar is on the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.
“The state go to is especially geared toward strengthening the bilateral financial cooperation between Nigeria and Qatar.
“President Tinubu and Al-Thani are each dedicated to sustaining and constructing on the prevailing cordial and particular relationship between Nigeria and the State of Qatar.
