(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Sanaullah Ataullah | The Peninsula
Lulu Group, in cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has launched the Asean Festival, offering diverse flavours and products of Asean countries in one place.
The festival, which is hosted across all Lulu stores in Qatar and other countries of the region, was inaugurated jointly by the envoys of different Asean countries at Lulu Hypermarket, Abu Sidra branch.
Ambassadors and Charges d'Affaires representing Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, Australia and Vietnam were present on the ceremony.
Ambassador of China H E Zhou Jian; Brunei Darussalam, H E Mohamed Bahrin Abu Bakar; Ambassador of Malaysia H E Zamshari Shaharan; Ambassador of Philippines H E Alan L Timbayan; Ambassador of Singapore H E Jai S Sohan; Ambassador of Thailand H E Nathapol Khantahiran; Ambassador of Australia H E Jonathan Muir; Charge d'Affaires Embassy of Vietnam H E Cao Dinh Phan; Head of the ILO Project Office in Qatar H E Max Tunon attended the event.
The guests of honour included Head of the ILO Project Office in Qatar Max Tunon and other guests representing embassies of Asean countries, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Qatar Chamber.
The festival, which will run until December 16, in all Lulu outlets in Qatar, is offering exciting discount on a wide range of imported products from Asean countries. Lulu has been importing products from Asean countries for over two decades in Qatar. With this festival, Lulu planned to further promote products of Asean through their stores in Qatar.
On offer are more than 160 varieties of fruits and vegetables together with grocery, hot and cold items, ice-creams, chips, candies, biscuits, coffee, dry fruits, canned foods, beverages, and frozen food items such as fish fillet and processed fish products, sauces, chicken franks, chicken breast and pastries from the Asean countries.
Apart from food products, a wide range of health and beauty and household items are also available on shelves at 'competitive prices'. Special counters have been set to enable customers and food connoisseurs to taste the fruits and different varieties of food items.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of Indonesia and Chairman of the Asean Committee in Doha, H E Ridwan Hassan, said,“First on behalf of Asean Committee in Doha, I would like to convey gratitude and appreciation to Lulu for hosting Asean Festival.”
He said that this event will be a catalyst to get more access to Asean products.“The 10 countries of Asean enjoy good relations with Qatar, underpinned by cooperation spanning the political, cultural and especially economic sectors,” said the Ambassador.
He said that economic cooperation and engagement remains the cornerstone of Asean-Qatar ties.“We can see that in 2020, the volume of trade between Qatar and the Asean countries amounted to over $9bn. Qatar is also a key investor in Asean countries with investments in the energy sector, including alternative energy, financial, real estate, telecommunications, agribusiness, hospitality and medical sectors,” said the Ambassador.
He said that around 300,000 Southeast Asian nationals have made Qatar their second home and they contribute greatly to economic sectors in Qatar and also to their countries.
“Qatar has emerged as a significant political player in the region. We believe that Asean-Qatar relations in the future will grow stronger. Lulu — with plenty of outlets both in Qatar and Asean countries — has been playing its part in achieving that goal,” said the Ambassador.
Director of Lulu Group International, Dr. Mohamed Althaf, extended his greetings and said the event was a timely effort at promoting Asean food products in Qatar.
“Over the years, we have enjoyed excellent support and cooperation from each of your embassies. Asean countries are playing a vital role in the food safety and we are looking forward to cooperate more with our partners from the Asean region to accelerate the imports and to further strengthen our relationship,” said Dr. Althaf.
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