* How would you characterize Romania"s cooperation with the countries in the Gulf area, and what is your outlook on the future of this cooperation?
The outstanding financial potential of the six Arab countries in the gulf has also manifested itself in the relationship with our country. In what the commercial relationships with the Arab countries is concerned, the Gulf states are in the top. The United Arab Emirates are now at the top of the chart, with 340 million dollars in commercial exchanges in 2010. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar complete the picture.
The relationships are not only reliant on commercial exchanges. Thousands of Romanians found good jobs in the countries in the Gulf. It feels rather usual to meet a large number of Romanians in Kuwait or in Dubai. Romanians gained a reputation in Kuwait by putting out the fires of the oil drills after the first war in the Gulf. In the Emirates, particularly in Dubai and Sharjah, Romanians gained a reputation in the construction sector. The surprise comes when you meet them by the thousands of in Oman, where there are over 1300, in Qatar, where there are about the same, even more of them in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has also become a major attraction. We have specialists in the oil sector, in the petrochemical industry, in IT and in the entire Arabian Peninsula.
This sizeable community, which was well received and is appreciated in the Gulf, has opened the way to a positive outlook on the future. This also includes several other factors that we will discuss for the duration of this interview, since I hope you have lots of question to ask me...
* How would Romania benefit from the strengthening of its relationships with the countries of the Gulf area?
With the risk of repeating myself, I have to emphasize the financial strength of the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. No
