"We have been actively servicing clients in Qatar for many years, and our new office will enable us to provide on-the-ground support in this increasingly important business and financial market," said Koen Vanhaerants, Bakers' European chairman.

Bakers now has 69 offices in 41 countries. The Qatar office adds to existing practices in Riyadh, Cairo, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in the Middle East.

The international spotlight has shone on Qatar in recent months, with the announcement late last year that the tiny Gulf nation would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It has also recently taken an active role in political developments in the region, supporting air strikes over Libya but also sending troops, along with Saudi Arabia, to crush pro-democracy protests in Bahrain.