Doha, June 03 (QNA) - Qatari newspapers issued on Thursday highlighted the large Qatari participation in St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in the Russian Federation, seeing it as an opportunity to strengthen the Qatari-Russian partnership and increase bilateral cooperation between Doha and Moscow.

In their editorials, Qatari newspaper pointed to the important participation of the State of Qatar in the forum, which was represented by HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani's inauguration of the State of Qatar's pavilion in the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

It stressed that Qatari participation at this level stems from Doha's awareness of the importance of bilateral Qatari-Russian cooperation, which witnessed in recent years remarkable developments in the political, economic, commercial, investment, cultural and sports fields.

In this regard, Al-Raya said in their editorial that the importance of Qatar's participation in the Forum stems for the importance of the Qatari economy and Qatar's desire to diversify sources of income and enter into strategic partnerships with various countries, adding that the participation was to highlight the Qatari economy and its leading position at the regional and international levels.

Al-Raya explained that the Forum is a leading and effective global platform for exchanging views and experiences between political leaders, government officials and representatives of the business sector from different countries of the world; therefore, it is a great opportunity for the participating countries to strengthen and develop economic cooperation relations and partnerships among them in various fields.

It added that Qatar's distinguished participation is an affirmation of its keenness to highlight the bright aspects of its economy and spread its culture and civilizational heritage, adding that its participation contributes to advancing economic cooperation and exchanging benefits with the participating countries to achieve common interests.

Al-Raya concluded by stating that Qatari-Russian relations have been based on strategic partnership, pointing out that Qatari investments in energy field exceed $13 billion, and Qatar is keen to achieve further development in this field. The State of Qatar's participation in the forum constitutes a great opportunity to strengthen this partnership, especially since there is an opportunity to sign more than 60 joint cooperation agreements between the two countries, the newspaper explained. 

Al-Sharq newspaper said, in its editorial under the title ' Qatar: A Prominent Presence in Petersburg', that Wednesday witnessed a prominent presence of the State of Qatar on the first day of the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum when HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani inaugurated the State of Qatar's pavilion in Forum, taking place from June 2-5 in the Russian Federation.

This large participation of the State of Qatar in the Forum comes from its deep awareness of the importance of bilateral cooperation with the Russian Federation, which in recent years has witnessed remarkable developments in the political, economic, commercial, investment, cultural and sports fields, according to HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the newspaper noted.

The various events and activities in the State of Qatars pavilion dominated the course of the first day of the Forum, and the dialogue sessions and discussions in which Qatari and Russian officials and experts participated in attracted the attention of many, the newspaper said.

A number of events has emerged during the Forum, such as the "Innovations and Business" sessions, "How to Make Capital from Ideas and Investing in Creative Industries", in addition to the session that discussed the impact of sports on the economy and society, Al-Sharq added.

The newspaper concluded by saying that the State of Qatar, which is participating with a huge delegation representing more than 50 institutions and bodies from the government and the private sector and businessmen, all confirm the high level of cooperation between the two countries and the common desire to strengthen Qatari-Russian relations and increase the volume of trade exchange between them. 

For its part, the Peninsula newspaper highlighted, it is editorial entitled 'Qatar at SPIEF 2021', the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and Russian Federation, stressing that SPIEF will be a platform to enhance the already robust cooperation between Qatar and Russia.

The English newspaper noted the mutual working visits by leaders of both countries as they continue to strengthen diplomatic engagements across several fields, which led to consistent improvement in trade between the two countries, as it increased from $118m in 2012 to $202m in 2019 and now at $297m in 2020.

The Peninsula added that the Qatari-Russian bilateral relations have recorded significant growth in recent years, with Qatari investment in Russia at $13bn across various sectors, including energy, infrastructure, and banking.

It explained that investment projects will be one of the primary key points of the event, as more than 50 leading Qatari public and private sector entities are being represented at this Forum.

Besides the business opportunities the Forum presents, Qatar will also present a cultural programme that will reveal three large-scale projects representing the countrys historical traditions and contemporary art, the newspaper said, adding that the Mawaheb festival will reveal the musical culture of the Middle East and North Africa to the public, and an exhibition at the Russian Museum of Ethnography will present the history of Qatar through unique artifacts, while the Qatar Film Days Festival will showcase the Qatari film industry.

The Peninsula concluded its editorial by stating that SPIEF will also discuss the most anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar, as both countries share a common interest with Russia being the last host nation of the football tournament in 2018. (QNA)