Doha, October 30 (QNA) – President of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD) Mahmut Asmali said that several Qatari companies in various fields and sectors, most notably food, industrial equipment, services, transportation and software, will participate in the19th MUSIAD EXPO 2022 Fair in Istanbul from Nov. 2 to 5.
In an interview with Lusail newspaper published Sunday, Mahmut Asmali said that Turkey’s relations with the State of Qatar are of a strategic nature, as the two countries have deep-rooted friendship and brotherhood that are developing rapidly. Mutual visits give an important impetus to the relations between both countries and there is also close cooperation and coordination between them on regional issues, he added.
Asmali noted that in light of the developing relations between the two brotherly countries, Turkey has become one of the most attractive countries for Qatari investments in several fields.
According to the recent figures for the first eight months of 2022, the volume of trade between Turkey and Qatar exceeded $1.4 billion, and Turkish exports to Qatar exceeded USD 1 billion, an increase of 60 percent compared to the first eight months of 2021, which made Turkey the seventh country from which Qatar imports the most, he explained, adding that exports exceeding $1 billion in the first eight months of 2022 indicates an increase in exports by more than 200 percent in the past five years.
Regarding the number of Qatari companies operating in Turkey and the number of Turkish companies in Qatar, he said that statistics indicate that there are 200 Qatari companies operating in a wide range of sectors in Turkey, as well as more than 700 Turkish companies operating in Qatar in various sectors. Qatar’s direct investments in Turkey have increased significantly, with $ 33.2 billion, while the value of projects carried out by Turkish construction companies in infrastructure in Qatar amounted to $ 22 billion, he pointed out.
In the field of tourism, MUSIAD President said that the number of Qatari visitors to Turkey reached about 30,000 in 2016, then increased to about 110,000 in 2019, while this year it reached 140,000 tourists.
On the areas of investment between Qatar and Turkey, Asmali said that his country is a hub where various elements of production meet with their geographical and logistical capabilities and has become a safe port for global trade. In the framework of cooperation with Qatar, it is possible in fact to develop a comprehensive logistics network from both Qatar and Turkey to many different regions at the bilateral level, and Turkey has companies doing these studies.
Asmali concluded his interview with Lusail by saying that the construction sector in Qatar is expected to grow further and studies will be conducted as a completion of already specific projects rather than new investments in line with the goal of increasing Qatar’s LNG production to 110 million tons in 2024 and 127 million tons in 2027, as six mega LNG trains will be built (Natural Gas Liquefaction Facility). (QNA)
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