Ekip
17 January 2018•Update: 18 January 2018
By Ahmed Yusuf
DOHA
Expo Turkey 2018, a high-profile trade fair, kicked off in Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday with the participation of 110 Turkish companies.
Held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, the three-day exhibition covers 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, Expo Turkey 2018 is being organized 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 organize the event, told Anadolu Agency.
“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 some 3.9 billion Qatari riyals (roughly $1.08 billion) in 2017 -- up from 600 million riyals (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 stabilize 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.
