MoCI Organizes National Workshop on Trade Agreement Negotiations

Doha: The National Workshop on Trade Agreement Negotiations organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) in collaboration a training institute of World Trade Organization (WTO) kicked off Monday. The event is set to continue until May 2. The four-day workshop tackled the core trade negotiation skills, the good preparation prior to engaging in the negotiations, how to properly apply such skills to ensure the intended objectives of the negotiations through invoking a multitude of interactive and practical applications and trainings between experts and participants. The workshop saw the participation of several government bodies, namely the MoCI, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Municipality, QatarEnergy, General Authority of Customs and Qatar Central Bank (QCB). Director General of the MoCI's Department of International Cooperation and Trade Agreements and chairman of the national coordination committee of WTO affairs, Saleh bin Abdullah Al Mana affirmed that t he workshop comes within the MoCI's efforts dedicated to enhancing the negotiation skills of the government staff within a development vision for the future of national economy. He pointed out that the event seeks to enable the employees to internalize the trade negotiation skills so as to advance negotiations, culminating in agreements that achieve shared interests at the regional and global levels. Al Mana recalled the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha in 2001, which laid the groundwork for constructive development in the new track of world trade system, pointing out that the declaration of the conference acknowledged that it is imperative for all countries to capitalize on the opportunities and welfare gains achieved by the multi-lateral trade system. The Doha Declaration approved the need for aiding the developing countries technically to further upgrade the level of skills in the negotiations on trade exchange, since the workshop, in question, falls under this technical assistance, he high lighted. Al Mana underlined that liberating trade exchange within the WTO and regional agreements, if used properly -whether nationally or globally- would constitute an effective tool to achieve equal growth among nations and ultimately accomplish a sustainable, economic and social development at the national level. The workshop comes within the MoCI's efforts devoted to holding technical cooperation events that would further build capacities and deepen the understanding among the government staff. Source: Qatar News Agency