Qatar seeks to consolidate strategic partnership with Turkiye in food security: Sheikh Mohamed

Qatar is seeking to consolidate the "strategic" partnership with Turkiye, with which the volume of trade amounted to $1.8bn in 2021, as part of efforts to meet the food security goals of both the countries.

This was highlighted by the Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani at the opening session of the Izmir Business Days Forum, organised via video conferencing."Qatar’s participation in this year's edition of the Izmir Forum is a significant occasion to consolidate the strategic partnership between the two sibling countries in terms of policies and plans, aimed at developing and promoting agricultural trade, to support achieving both nations’ common food security goals," he said.He said the forum represented a new opportunity to underscore Qatar's firm commitment to strengthening international co-operation in various fields, in support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aimed at meeting the aspirations of all the peoples of the world to progress, development, and prosperity.Referring to 'The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World', prepared by five global entities including Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN World Food Programme, he said it indicates that about 29.3% of the global population has experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021, i.e. an increase of 350mn people compared to the pre-Covid-19 period.Quoting the reports of the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank, the minister said some countries had resorted to adopting protectionist trade measures to curb the rise in food prices.He said the report highlight that around 25 countries have adopted export restrictions, affecting about 8% of global food trade.Stressing on the firm belief of Qatar that “any cross-border global crisis can only be resolved under the auspices of the international community”, he said the repercussions of these crises affected countries across the world, and their impact could be greater on countries that were largely dependent on basic commodity imports, especially developing and poor countries.HE Sheikh Mohamed said the forum was an opportunity to discuss the innovative and efficient solutions and initiatives, which can facilitate trade, support global food supply chains, and enhance investment in agricultural technologies that are resilient to the effects of climate change.The Izmir International Fair is the first trade fair in Turkiye. Over the past nine decades, it has succeeded in becoming an important, diverse platform for exchanging views on global and domestic trends in trade and policy-making, as well as for forging new partnerships.