(MENAFN – Qatar News Agency) Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) hosted on Sunday a meeting for a trade delegation from Bahrain aimed at cementing the economic and trade relations between the two countries.

The meeting was chaired by HE QBA Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, and attended by Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce’s assistant undersecretary for domestic trade Hamid Yusuf Rahmah, as well as members of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani hailed Qatari-Bahraini relations as a model for the integration between the GCC and the Arab countries, stressing that the businessmen in both countries could play further roles to enhance economic relations and establish partnerships to strengthen the economy of the two countries.

For his part, Farouk Yousuf, a member of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce, extended his thank to QBA members, and praised the efforts made by both countries to further cement such relations so as to meet the aspirations of the Qatari and Bahraini peoples.

The volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounted to about 825 million at the end of 2011. Qatar’s imports from Bahrain were 737 million, while its exports to Bahrain reached 87.5 million.