Bulgaria-Qatar forum no show

A Bulgaria-Qatar business forum held in Doha this week did not feature any Qatari attendees, despite a large build up to the event in Bulgaria, it has been reported Some 103 Bulgarian companies arrived in the Qatari capital on Wednesday in the hopes of showcasing their products to investors in the Gulf state, but no local businessmen were spotted in the exhibition centre, according to Darik radio in Qatar. Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister, Traicho Traikov, opened the forum in English in a bid to accommodate Qatari delegates, but in the end addressed an all-Bulgarian gathering. More than 500 Qatari businesses had been invited to the event Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Ministry. The event followed news that Bulgaria will offer Qatar investment funds to finance projects worth as much as €300m (US$391m) in the southeast European country, that involve construction, resorts and farming, as well as liquefied natural gas supplies through terminals in Greece and Turkey, the Economy and Energy Ministry in Sofia said in a statement to Bloomberg on Wednesday. The two countries on Tuesday held a session of official talks, chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Speaking at a joint press conference with the Bulgarian prime minister later, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said that the two sides had agreed that Qatar would invest in three areas in Bulgaria, including tourism, infrastructure and agriculture, the Qatar News Agency reported.