Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is on a state visit to Bulgaria, the press service of the cabinet said. The focus of the talks was on the opportunities for more investment from Qatar in Bulgaria as well as the infrastructure projects for connectivity in the Balkans and the European Union.

Prime Minister Borissov introduced the Qatar Emir with the map of transport Corridors 4, 8, 9 and 10 and informed him about meetings with the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank. He added that between Bulgaria and Qatar there have already been several good business and affiliation deals, but the time has come for both countries to pursue more ambitious investment goals.

The Qatar Emir congratulated Prime Minister Borissov for the EU Presidency and expressed confidence that it would be a success.

''We agreed that we should no longer waste time talking, we must work. That is why we have discussed several steps for the rapprochement between our two countries and in particular in the area of ​​investment'', the Qatar Emir said. Three Memoranda of Cooperation on Energy, Education and Youth and Sport were also signed during the special ceremony.

In the energy sphere,  the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Foreign minister of Qatar, and Energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova have signed a memorandum that allows the two sides to cooperate in building a new infrastructure for the supply of liquefied or compressed natural gas from Qatar for our country and the region of Southeastern Europe. Bulgaria and Qatar will support the participation of their national energy companies in joint projects in the field of exploration, extraction, transmission and distribution of hydrocarbons. They will look at specific options for joint activities, including through the creation of a joint venture or other mechanisms.

Youth and Sports Minister Krasen Kralev and Youth and Sports Minister Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting the development of youth and sports exchange programs, coordinating positions and opinions during World Summits and international forums related to the youth sector, exchange of information and proposals based on the interests of youth centers and sports federations in Bulgaria and Qatar.

In the field of higher education Prof. Anastas Gerdzhikov, Rector of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, and President of Qatar University Dr. Hassan Rashid al-Derham signed a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at establishing effective academic relations and cultural ties. The document provides for the two institutions to contribute to the training and development of the academic staff, as well as to the exchange of knowledge and experience and the realization of joint activities in the different spheres of science and education.

The two leaders welcomed the signing of the documents and the Qatari Emir invited Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to visit Qatar.