Qatar Chamber Takes Part in B57+ Business Leaders Summit in Istanbul

Qatar Chamber took part in the second B57+ Business Leaders' Summit in Istanbul, which concluded on Sunday. A board member of the chamber, Dr. Mohamed bin Jawhar Al Mohamed, used the occasion to call for more effort to remove trade and investment barriers among Islamic countries.

Gulf Times and The Peninsula Qatar reported that the summit was held on the sidelines of the 42nd Ministerial Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC). IndexBox, citing QNA, gave the same account of the event.

What we know

• Gulf Times reported that senior officials, decision-makers, business leaders, investors and representatives of chambers of commerce from across OIC member states took part in the summit.
• The Peninsula Qatar reported that the summit focused on strengthening economic and trade cooperation among OIC member states, expanding joint investment opportunities, and promoting partnerships between private sector institutions.
• Gulf Times reported that the programme addressed capital mobilization, expanding cross-border investments, boosting intra-OIC trade, developing public-private partnerships, and exploring opportunities in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
• The Peninsula Qatar reported that the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD) organized the summit in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB) and COMCEC, and that it kicked off on Oct. 31 under the theme "Towards Strategic Integration: Mobilizing the Potential of OIC Countries for a Prosperous Future of the Global South."
• Gulf Times reported that Al Mohamed, speaking in press statements, stressed the summit's importance in enhancing communication among business communities in Islamic countries and opening new avenues for trade and investment cooperation.
• IndexBox reported that Al Mohamed said cooperation among chambers of commerce and private sector institutions in Islamic countries is essential for raising intra-OIC trade and mutual investment, and that he called for greater efforts to remove trade and investment barriers and improve cooperation mechanisms among companies.

What we don't know yet

• None of the three reports says whether the summit produced any agreements, declarations or commitments between participating chambers or companies.
• The reports do not say how many delegates attended or which OIC member states were represented, beyond a general reference to participants from across the organization's members.
• The reports do not say what concrete steps, if any, will follow Al Mohamed's call to eliminate trade and investment barriers.