ANKARA: Turkey urged Qatari investors to support it with investments, setting aside all doubts, if any, about the ground situation in the country following the failed attempt to destabilise the country’s freedom and democracy last month.
Ahmet Demirok, Turkey’s ambassador to Qatar, reassured the Qatari business community in the presence of Muhammed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari, Vice Chairman of Qatar Chamber, that the elected government of his country was fully in control and in a position to ensure that trade and business could be carried on as normal. While assuring Qatar of Turkey’s support during a time of slow economic growth, he underscored the importance of Qatar as an important trade partner from among the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries.
The ambassador and other top Turkish diplomats said this, while addressing a reception hosted by the Turkish Businessmen Association – Qatar at Shangri-la Hotel on Sunday. They indicated that though the stock market and the Turkish lira took a huge hit in the days following the coup attempt, both were now steadily on the path of recovery.
Burak Guresci, Commercial Counsellor of Turkey in Qatar, said that contracting is a major source of revenue for the Turkish economy and that between 2005 and 2015, Turkish companies had bagged 120 contracts in Qatar worth nearly $27bn. He said a number of Turkish companies were involved in Qatar Rail projects and in this context he hoped Qatar’s LNG exports would do well ensuring strong economic growth for the country.
Banking, he said, was one of the main areas of bilateral co-operation and it had great potential for investments by Qatari businessmen. According to official data, one of the country’s main exports to Qatar is iron and steel products. Electrical machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, home textile products, furniture and food are the other exports.
Turkey’s main imports from Qatar are natural gas, plastics, plastic products and chemical derivatives. Turkish investments in Qatar are focused mainly in the construction sector and consultancy services. On the impact of recent political imbroglio on Turkey’s tourism sector, the Turkish ambassador said terrorism, among other factors, was a serious threat to tourism, a major revenue earner for his country. He said the country had managed to normalise relations with Russia and relations with the Gulf Co-operation Council countries are also becoming stronger.
