Doha, Qatar: Buenos Aires will open an InvestBA office in Doha in 2026, marking the city’s first official representation in the Gulf region and establishing a permanent platform for trade and investment promotion, H E Hernán Lombardi, Minister of Economic Development for the City of Buenos Aires has revealed.

The Year of Culture partnership has laid the foundation for a deeper economic relationship between Qatar and Argentina. This year three major commercial announcements were delivered during a high-level delegation visit by Minister Lombardi and Augusto Ardiles, Undersecretary of Investments at Ministry of Economic Development of the City of Buenos Aires.

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business centre in the region, and the Ministry of Economic Development of Buenos Aires signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently which seeks to create stronger bilateral investment channels and new support mechanisms for Argentinian companies entering the Gulf market.

The three major market announcements now emerging, the MoU, the InvestBA office, and the potential expansion of Argentinian companies in the GCC market through Qatar, illustrate how cultural diplomacy can impact real business outcomes.

The agreements mark a significant milestone in Argentina’s growing commercial presence in Qatar and reflect the momentum created through sustained institutional engagement during the Year of Culture programme.

Addressing the event Minister Lombardi said, “These agreements reflect the confidence our team in Buenos Aires places in Qatar as a strategic partner for innovation, investment, and long-term collaboration.”

“Establishing InvestBA in Doha and deepening our institutional ties through the QFC opens a new chapter for Argentinian companies seeking to engage with the Gulf. We look forward to building on this momentum and creating concrete opportunities that benefit both of our economies,” he added.

Also speaking at the signing ceremony, Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, Chief Executive Officer, QFC, noted the strategic work in culture and exchange has strengthened the relationship between Qatar and Argentina paving the way for the partnership we are formalising here today.

Al-Jaida said, Qatar and Argentina have enjoyed more than 50 years of friendship reflecting in a strong, and mutually beneficial economic relationship. “Over these five decades our nations have signed numerous agreements across commerce, sports, industry, tourism and culture each deepening our cooperation and widening our shared opportunity.

“Today’s MoUs built on that cooperation by enhancing the connections between the QFC and the Ministry of Economic Development of the City of Buenos Aires to enable a more coherent and effective collaboration between our jurisdictions and reinforce our shared commitments to supporting business growth,” he added.

“With this MoU we are creating a supportive environment that helps our firms expand across borders through smoother market entry and mutual assistance. We will undertake coordinated initiative and maintain continuous engagement to ensure our stakeholders benefit for new prospects in both markets. By aligning our respective strengths we can accelerate economic development and diversification for both economies,” Al-Jaida said.

Argentinian BioTech, HealthTech, Multimedia and Applied AI companies are moving toward establishing operations in Qatar through the Qatar Financial Centre, deepening Argentina’s footprint in the GCC.

H E Mohammed Al Kuwari, former Ambassador of Qatar to Mexico and Advisor on Latin American Affairs for Years of Culture said, “Years of Culture has shown that cultural exchange is a foundation for trust, understanding, and sustainable economic partnership.

The growing commercial presence in Qatar we see through these agreements is a direct outcome of the relationships built over the past year, and a powerful example of how cultural diplomacy can pave the way for meaningful investment and innovation.”

Qatar’s Years of Culture initiative, long celebrated for its cultural diplomacy has increasingly become a driver of economic growth.

In 2025, the initiative played a decisive role in shaping new routes for cooperation by bringing Argentina’s innovators into direct and repeated dialogue with Qatar’s business, government, and financial institutions.

Through coordinated efforts between Years of Culture and Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), Argentina participated in several major trade events in Qatar this year, an approach that positioned cultural exchange as a launching pad for business opportunity.

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