Qatar finance minister says budget for 2019 will project surplus

Reuters
A cashier counts Qatari riyal notes at a money changer in Doha May 28, 2013. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad/File Photo

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's national budget for 2019 will show a forecast for a surplus, its Finance Minister Ali Shareef al-Emadi told a conference on Sunday.

He reiterated that the financial statements for the first half of 2018 confirm the strength of its economy and the country has overcome the "blockade" imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies.

He said non-oil sector economic growth for the first half of the year was over 5 percent.

(Reporting by Davide Barbuscia and Eric Knecht; Writing by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Tom Arnold)