Modernity in harmony with tradition in Qatar: Belgian envoy THE changes taking place in a booming Qatar are in tune with a fast evolving modern world but it is interesting to see that the country has been able to maintain its cultural identity, the outgoing Belgian ambassador has said. Guy De Lauwer (64), Belgium’s first ambassador to Qatar is leaving Doha shortly at the end of his tour of duty in Qatar. He has also reached retirement age. “The way Qatar is pursuing globalisation, while keeping its strong sense of identity, is very interesting,” Lauwer told Gulf Times. He took up the current assignment in July 2006, when the Belgian embassy opened in Doha after Qatari authorities expressed their wish to Brussels to open a diplomatic mission. “Initially, there were a lot of procedural, budgetary problems and obstacles. We are really a small country and usually try to handle more than one country from a single mission,” Lauwer explained. Qatar was previously being managed by the Belgian embassy in Kuwait, which also oversaw Bahrain. According to a 2007 population estimate, Belgium had 10.5mn inhabitants, out which 59% were the Dutch-speaking Flemish in the North, 31% French-speaking natives in the South while Brussels - the capital - was a bilingual area housing some 10% of the population. “As for the difficulties, we couldn’t find affordable premises for our embassy. We are still very afraid with the prices in Qatar. This also delayed my arrival,” Lauwer recalled. At present the embassy estimates there are 300 Belgians in Qatar, 10 times more than in Kuwait. “But this figure fluctuates, depending on the contracts bagged by Belgian multinational companies in Qatar. The most Belgians we ever had were 400 before and during the Doha Asian Games in 2006,” he noted. Belgian dredging companies, especially Jan de Nul and, 6 Construct (both operating as joint-ventures) have been at the forefront of construction-related activities in the country. Some of their previous and ongoing projects include RasGas projects, Aspire Tower, renovation of Khalifa Stadium and the New Doha International Airport. “We were heavily industrialised during the 50s and as we were considered a ‘low-lying country’, developed dredging techniques. This expertise we now offer to countries like Qatar,” Lauwer said. On the business front, mutual trade also grew during his stay here, as Qatar became the number one exporter of LNG to Belgium last year. Previously, Belgium was getting gas from Algeria. “Gas from Qatar is supplied to us for our country’s domestic needs, as well as for the rest of the Europe too,” he pointed out. The LNG carriers from Qatar unload gas at the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, where it is stocked and then supplied to other European countries. Exports from Belgium to Qatar accounted for 1% of Qatar’s total imports (according to Qatari figures). The major items exported to Qatar include machines and sophisticated equipment ($150mn in 2007), chemical products worth $85mn and steel and metal products worth $80mn in the same year. According to the envoy, his favourite place in the country is Souq Waqif, especially the Brussels Café, where one can find Belgian chocolates that have a cult-like status among connoisseurs. “I think it is well-planned and nicely-restored. And the fact that here you are walking in an old bazaar and can still sit down and have a variety of food, it’s really an excellent idea,” he said. French-speaking Lauwer was also candid when asked how his country whose capital is known as the ‘capital of EU’ and also houses Nato headquarters, is itself mired in separatist movements. The Dutch-speaking majority in the Flanders Province of Belgium have been seeking autonomy from Brussels that is seen as being ruled by Franco-centric elites. “This is a peaceful movement. Historically, the area was divided by Germanic tribes in the North and Latin culture in the South, with forests filling the gap in the middle. It’s more of a cultural divide these days,” the ambassador emphasised. In fact he was of the view that it was because of Brussels that his country has not split up “like Czechoslovakia did” because each part wants to keep Brussels. Belgium was one of the six-founding members of the European Union. “Also it’s the meeting point for Europe. It’s not a violent movement, it’s purely political. “In the big European space, each region tries to define its own identity. Also generally speaking, all these separatist regions are very rich, Flemish in Belgium, Basque Country in Spain and so on. Flemish people have higher education and higher salaries,” he explained. “We have the second biggest diplomatic communities in the world, with a total of 280 missions in Brussels. For instance, the US has three big offices, one for the kingdom, one for the EU and another for Nato. The city represents what Europe stands for, unity and not otherwise,” Lauwer added. GT

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