Deals worth millions signed at Turkish fair in Qatar

Expo Turkey 2018, a high-profile three-day trade fair, which began in Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday, has boosted trade between the two countries.

Held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, the exhibition featuring 110 Turkish companies covering a range of sectors, including construction, real estate, technology, health, tourism, energy, environmental management, infrastructure, furniture, food, transportation and agriculture.

The event’s second edition was organised in cooperation with Turkey’s Independent Industrialist and Businessmen Association (MUSIAD).

“This exhibition is one of the most important projects contributing to the development of economic and commercial ties between the two countries [i.e., Turkey and Qatar]," Hakan Kurt, general manager of Medya City Corporation, which helped organise the event said.

“The event aims to transform both Turkey and Qatar into regional hubs for economic cooperation by establishing bases for joint investment and promoting the development of relations – in all fields – with Qatar," Kurt said.

Trade between Turkey and Qatar stood at roughly $1.08 billion in 2017 – up from roughly $174 million the previous year.

After being subject to a boycott last summer by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, Qatar began to expand its economic activity by launching a host of new production initiatives.

Turkey has since become a major destination for Qatari imports, while the availability of Turkish projects in Qatar has helped stabilise that country’s domestic market.

Some 186 Turkish companies are now operating in Qatar in the fields of infrastructure, contracting, construction, engineering consultancy and trade, among others.

In the first day of the event, more than 600 business-to-business meetings were held.

Turkish and Qatari firms signed business agreements worth of $60 million.