On the return leg of the inaugural flight, from Almaty to Doha, I sat in the first row of business class next to a Qatari gentleman who has been connected with Kazakhstan for more than fifteen years. The cabin was almost empty, and the conversation lasted the whole flight.
The conversation in the plane became a friendship. Later I introduced him to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Qatar.
In his majlis I understood how relationships are built in Qatar: first trust and hospitality, then business. Coffee and dates, the ardah with swords, a long meal shared on the floor. Nobody talks about a deal on the first evening, and that is exactly why the second evening matters.
