Qatar has made a U-turn on its decision not to host the business and investment forum proposed by President Bola Tinubu during his visit slated for March 2, 2024, to the Arab country.

This followed a leaked memo on Saturday which showed that Qatar declined the proposed investment forum, citing the unavailability of the country’s minister of commerce and industry, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Also, the embassy of Qatar in Abuja had said there is no agreement between the Arabian country and Nigeria regarding the investment forum.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Abuja stated this in a letter dated February 22 2024 addressed to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria.

But in the letter, which was received by the ministry on February 23 2024 and sighted by our correspondent on Saturday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologised for the rejection of the proposed business visit.

Reacting to the alleged rejection, the Presidency said the Qatari government did not snub Tinubu.

It explained that the botched investment forum between the Nigerian and Qatari business communities was only one of several events lined up ahead of the President’s state visit to the Gulf country.

“It is not correct for anyone to insinuate that the Qatari authorities have snubbed the Nigerian leader over a business and investment forum which is tangential to the all-important state visit and which President Tinubu is slated to attend as a guest,” a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday read.

Onanuga, in a statement titled, ‘President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Qatar,’ in response to a leaked note between the foreign ministries of both countries explained that Tinubu was expected to proceed to Qatar on the state visit as scheduled and during the visit, the Nigerian leader would engage in high-level bilateral discussions with Qatari leader on many important matters, covering the full range of diplomatic and economic issues.

However, in a twist of event, the Qatari has confirmed that the business parley will be held during Tinubu’s visit to the country in a memo dated Sunday, February 25, 2024, addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Qatar embassy said, “Regarding the upcoming State visit of H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Qatar from 2^nd-3^rd March 2024 and with reference to our Note: Ref: QEA/FA/057/24 dated 22/02/2024 regarding holding of a Business and Investment Forum (BIF) on the margins of Mr. President’s visit to Qatar on 2^nd March 2024.”

“The Embassy has the honour to convey that the Qatar Chamber of Commerce will host the above-mentioned event on March 3, 2024, as proposed by the Nigerian side.” (Sunday PUNCH)

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