The Qatar government has declined Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s request for a visit aimed at discussing business and investment, citing a legal disagreement.
In a letter to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar explained, “The Middle East country cannot host President Tinubu for the planned business and investment forum on March 2 and 3.” The refusal is primarily because “there is no legally binding agreement between Qatar and Nigeria for investment promotion.”
The letter also mentioned that Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce had prior engagements on the dates requested by President Tinubu, stating, “The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologizes for being unable to hold the Business and Investment Forum as proposed by the Nigerian side.”
It was further noted that Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani, “will be on official missions abroad during the visit period,” rendering him unavailable for the meeting.
Additionally, Qatar mentioned its preoccupation with hosting a “web summit” at the same time President Tinubu intended to visit, indicating that “the state’s authorities will be preoccupied with this event.”
This response from the Qatar government hints at a lack of interest in rescheduling the business and investment forum or pursuing an economic alliance with Nigeria at the moment.
This incident follows a previous situation in 2023 where the United Arab Emirates (UAE) corrected a claim made by President Tinubu’s adviser about lifting a visa ban on Nigerians after a visit to the UAE’s leader, indicating a pattern of miscommunication or misunderstanding in Nigeria’s international relations.
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