(MENAFN) The Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal and the Qatari Minister of Economy and Commerce have expressed their interest to strengthen economic ties through expanding areas of mutual cooperation, The Peninsula Qatar reported



Both sides have expressed that the current ties between Portugal and Qatar are currently "below ambition" and that there are huge trade and investment opportunities still untapped



The Deputy Prime Minister is currently on a visit to Qatar and has, with Qatar's Minister of Trade and Commerce, co-headed the First Session of the of 'Qatar-Portuguese Joint Commission on Economic, Commercial & Technical Cooperation'



The Qatari minister said: "Bilateral trade between the two countries is below our ambition. This shows the need to enhance the trade volume by deepening mutual cooperation through expanding and exploring more opportunities of trade and investments.