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Qatar has declined an invitation for a business and investment forum proposed during President Bola Tinubu’s scheduled visit to the Arab country. The rejection was conveyed through a letter dated February 22, 2024, from the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Abuja to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The letter, received on February 23, 2024, cited the absence of a signed agreement between Qatar and Nigeria on investment promotion and protection as the reason for the rejection. Additionally, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar highlighted the unavailability of the Minister due to official commitments outside the country during the visit period, along with preoccupation with a web summit.
However, the Presidency countered claims of a snub, asserting that the declined forum was just one of several events preceding President Tinubu’s state visit to Qatar. Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, clarified that the forum’s cancellation does not reflect a disregard for President Tinubu by Qatari authorities.
In a statement titled ‘President Bola Tinubu’s State Visit to Qatar,’ Onanuga emphasized Tinubu’s scheduled engagement in high-level bilateral discussions with Qatari leaders during the visit, covering diplomatic and economic issues.
The Presidency further addressed a leaked diplomatic correspondence between the two countries, dismissing it as a ploy by mischief-makers to misconstrue the situation. It affirmed that President Tinubu’s state visit remains unaffected by the forum’s cancellation.
