“Qatar favored the establishment of a powerful economic consensus among the GCC countries. That is why most of the products came from these countries,” said Ramez Al-Khayyat, 35, whose company, Power Holding International, supervised the construction of Khalifa International Stadium, one of the main venues for the World Cup.
Al-Khayyat said that before the embargo, Qatar bought about 60% of its pharmaceuticals from Saudi Arabia and the UAE and 80% of its dairy products from Saudi Arabia as a matter of policy.
“The blockade meant to harm us, but Qatar succeeded in transferring it into an advantage for both our consumers and companies,” Al-Khayyat said.