The Qatari-Turkish private sector plays a vital role in strengthening relations between the two countries, which acquire a strategic nature in various fields, relations that have been translated into numbers and framed by the agreements concluded between the two brotherly countries on the ground.
Businessmen of the two countries, in exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), praised the visit of HE President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the State of Qatar, saying it will increase economic cooperation between the two countries, which is reflected in the continuous rise in the pattern of commercial transactions and the volume of investments in both directions. Trade volume grew between from 2021 to 2022, by 17 percent, to reach QR 8.1 billion in 2022, compared to QR 6.9 billion in 2021. It is also expected that the volume of trade exchange between the two parties in 2025 will reach about QR 18 billion. Qatar is also considered one of the major investors in Turkey with an investment volume of about $20 billion.
The figures indicate that more than 711 Turkish companies operate in Qatar, including about 664 companies with Qatari and Turkish capital, 47 companies with 100 percent Turkish capital, and 15 Turkish companies in the free zone, in addition to more than 183 Qatari companies operating in Turkey.
First Vice-Chairman of Qatar Chamber Mohamed Bin Ahmed Twar Al Kuwari stressed that the Turkish market is at the forefront of the preferred investment destinations for Qatari investors, as the Qatari private sector has succeeded during the last period in building and establishing effective and multiple projects in it, which helped develop trade and investment exchange between the two brotherly countries, and enhance its future prospects. He added that Qatari-Turkish economic cooperation is large and very important, highlighting that there are many promising opportunities for cooperation between the Qatari and Turkish private sectors, and that the Qatari business environment is likely to attract more Turkish investments.
Chairman of Sadara Holding Ahmed Al Khalaf for his part characterized Qatari-Turkish economic relations as strong, noting that they are likely to grow further thanks to the close political cooperation between the two countries, which enhanced opportunities for building trade and investment alliances in various fields, especially in the Oil and gas sector, infrastructure, food security, tourism, and other promising sectors and opportunities in both countries. He added that the private sector is looking to capitalize on the visit of the Turkish President to enhance ties between the private sector in both countries, especially given that 200 businessmen accompanied the President on the visit. He highlighted the existence of many investment opportunities in the two countries, which will reflect positively on the entire region, especially given that the attractive business environment in Qatari and Turkiye are likely to attract more investments.
He also noted that Turkiye can play an important role in food security thanks to its vast agricultural land, machinery, and other features that will encourage Qatari businessmen to engage in agricultural investments in Turkey and to enter agricultural alliances that can enhance Qatari food security.
He pointed out that the State of Qatar is a candidate for being a strategic holder of food products in the region, thanks to its advanced infrastructure, which helps it play this vital role, which will in turn improve the sector and its productivity. He added that the Republic of Turkey serves as a major pathway for agricultural and food products, and that strengthening Qatari-Turkish agricultural partnerships will have a positive impact on food security in the region and an improvement in its level of production.
For his part, businessman Hashem Al Awadi, called on the Qatari private sector to build on in the visit of HE the Turkish President in order to increase the private sector's gains, and to use them well to improve trade ties and strengthen economic and investment relations, including benefiting from Turkish expertise in local industries to develop their competitiveness.
The analyst and financial expert, Walid Al Fuqaha expected an upward growth in bilateral investments, in light of the diversity of agreements and understandings between the private sectors of the two countries, especially in the fields of infrastructure, industry, tourism, and real estate. The visit will reflect positively on those sectors, and will enhance opportunities for investment cooperation between the region's main players. He added that the Qatari-Turkish relationship is close and growing, as well as investment and economic cooperation. He attributed that to several factors, like the fact that the Qatari and Turkish economies are strong in the Middle East, the two sides have prospects for cooperation in many fields, especially the energy and industry sectors, in addition to the exchange of experiences. And benefit from experiences to advance the real estate and tourism sectors.
As for Professor of Accounting at Qatar University Dr. Rajab Abdullah Al Ismail, he stressed that the Qatari-Turkish economic cooperation is set to grow, especially since the bilateral relations are historical and well-established, not emergency, and are of strategic dimensions, and the State of Qatar is always looking forward to strengthening its trade cooperation with the Republic of Turkiye, Because of its vital economic sectors, we hope that the Qatari private sector will benefit from it and dedicate it to setting up new national projects that support the local investment environment and enhance its competitiveness, as an attractive area for the flow of direct and indirect foreign investments, especially as our country is on the verge of major energy projects that will enhance its exports to the world. He noted that the Qatari private sector should focus well on this point, and seek to build new alliances with the Turkish side, in support of the desired economic integration in the two countries.
Meanwhile economist, Fawaz Al Hajri, touched on the trade relations and joint projects that link the two countries, which have enhanced the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.
He pointed to the strong presence of the Qatari business sector in the Turkish market, where its investments are estimated at $10 billion, and there are Qatari companies operating effectively and regularly in Turkiye, some with full Qatari capital, and others with mixed capital, and in varying proportions, covering several vital sectors, most notably the financial sector, banks, health, and tourism, in addition to real estate, in which Qataris have invested huge sums, and the recent period has witnessed a shift towards ports and the technology sector.
For his part, vice-president of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) Ghazi Masrli told QNA that economic and trade relations between Turkiye and Qatar have witnessed great development over the past few years, and Turkiye has become one of the most attractive countries for Qatari capital in many sectors. He added that Qatari investments in the country have expanded to many sectors whether trade, tourism, or agriculture. He stressed that the visit of President Erdogan to Qatar comes at a time when the Turkish-Qatari relations are going through their best times at the various political, economic and diplomatic levels, amid the great rapprochement that the two countries have recorded since the past decade. He added that the strategic relationship between the two countries contributed to balance in the region, and this was evident in the Gulf region during the past years. He noted that both sides have large agreements and investments, highlighting that their joint supreme committee that was established in December 2014, holds high-level meeting every year, and is one of the clearest indication of the strength of bilateral relations.
Head of the Arab and Turkish Businessmen Association Arab and Turkish Businessmen Association (ARTIAD) Jamal El Din Karim said that there was an integration between Turkiye and Qatar in the economic and investment fields. He also told QNA that there are large investment opportunities in Turkiye with many incentives. He highlighted the possibility of establishing large factories that can find markets to its products. He noted that the special bilateral ties expanded for decades between the two peoples, highlighting the strong ties between the two countries in the political, economic, investment, military, and security fields.
In 2017, Turkiye opened a commercial office in Doha with the aim of encouraging the Qatari business world to invest in it, coinciding with the escalating development in relations between the two countries.
