London, UK, (Antara) - Some 300 Indonesian migrant workers from the hospitality sector, including hotels, spas, restaurants, and flights, established Indonesia-Qatar Hospitality (IQH), the Indonesian Embassy in Doha, Qatar, stated in a press release received by Antara here, Wednesday.
Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar Muhamad Basri Sidehabi noted that IQH can support Indonesia's economic diplomacy missions in Qatar.
He remarked that the establishment of IQH was a follow up to the meeting between Indonesian Manpower Minister Hanif Dakhiri and Qatari Manpower, Social, and Administration Minister Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi in May 2016.
At the meeting, Minister Issa bin Saad offered an additional quota of 24 thousand migrant workers for Indonesia.
In addition, Qatar will conduct vocational education and training sessions to prepare the Indonesian migrant workers employed in Qatar.
"The migrant workers are the nation's ambassadors who should obey the rules, maintain national unity, and help each other," the ambassador affirmed.
According to Ambassador Sidehabi, the amount of remittances from Indonesian migrant workers in Qatar reached US$10.4 billion in 2015.
Counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in Doha Boy Dharmawan said Qatar currently needs several foreign workers to help the government build infrastructure and facilities for the 2022 World Cup.
It is estimated that the construction projects will cost $200 billion, covering stadiums, hotels, trading centers, roads, railways, and land reclamation for new cities.
Meanwhile, Chairman of IQH Reno Saputra said IQH offers a platform for professional Indonesian migrant workers engaged in the services sector to build unity and establish cooperation to increase opportunities for them to rise higher up in their ranks and to achieve better positions at work.
Currently, of the total 43 thousand Indonesian migrant workers, one-fourth are skilled workers, while some 30 thousand are employed in the informal sector.
IQH is the 51st Indonesian community organization established in Qatar under the Indonesian Community Association.(*)
