The First Czech-Qatari Gala Evening

On June 11, the First Czech-Qatari Gala Evening took place at Schwarzenberg Palace, Hradčany Square, in the premises of the National Gallery. The event was attended by prominent figures from politics, business, and culture. The Gala was organized by the CCPF Czech-Qatari Chamber of Commerce, represented by its President Mr. Vladimír Cnota. Invitation as the guest of honor was kindly accepted by His Excellency Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar and a member of the ruling family.

It was no coincidence that the event took place in the historical Schwarzenberg Palace, which is in use by the National Gallery. Representatives of the Qatar Museums Authority and the National Museum of Qatar also participated in the event and made presentation of successes of the two organizations, manifested mainly in recent opening of the new National Museum, so-called Desert Rose, in the capital Doha. The presentation raised an interest among the invited guests in the dynamic development of this Gulf country, which has become in recent years a pioneer of arts and architecture not just in the Middle East. The Qatari side also brought detailed models of four out of eight football stadiums in which the matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosted by Qatar will be played. A guided tour of the models was done by His Excellency, Mr. Ambassador Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, himself. Besides speeches by Mr. Ambassador and the President of the CCPF Chamber of Commerce, program of the event included Arabic music, screening of photos of Qatar and gala dinner, prepared by chefs of the famous Prague restaurant La Finestra. The event was for many attendees a nice invitation to visit Qatar and another sign of strengthening of the bilateral relations between Prague and Doha, to which the CCPF Czech-Qatari Chamber of Commerce stands in the forefront.

All this is just a first step in the future developments of political, cultural and business ties between the State of Qatar and the Czech Republic. We are currently preparing an introduction of Czech companies on the Qatari market. At the same time, we are opening the Czech Republic for Qatari investments. We have launched pilots projects which are already becoming successful. Our Chamber has founded CCPF Cargo, which is a key tool for speedy export and import of goods and products. Furthermore, a Czech-Qatari company Altair Consulting was registered in recent months. The company is groundbreaking project in cooperation with our Qatari partners. It will make use of the recent change of legislation in the field of investments approved by H.H. Emir of Qatar.