Turkey, Qatar to boost trade ties

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IANS | 04 Aug, 2017
Turkish and Qatari economy ministers on Thursday pledged to boost bilateral trade and investment at a business forum.

The two ministers, accompanied by a total of 250 businessmen from various sectors, met in the Turkish western city of Izmir to develop "productive alliances," Xinhua reported.

"As governments our only function is to bring our businessmen together," Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said at the forum.

"Turkish economy can satisfy all the needs of Qatar from food to tourism, from construction to energy," he added.

Addressing to the forum, Qatari Economy and Commerce Minister Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani said the two countries will be stronger through the establishment of high-level cooperation when facing problems in the future, local media reported.

"Increasing our trade volume and boosting successful investments will also strengthen our economies," Al-Thani added.

The trade volume between the two countries achieved $554 million during the first half of this year, according to Turkish state-run Anadolu agency.

Al-Thani also praised the role of Qatari and Turkish private sectors in breaking the blockade imposed on his country by several Arab states in early June, Anadolu said.

Turkey has sent a total of 221 cargo planes of daily used items to Qatar since the blockade, according to the figure released by Zeybekci at the forum.

The Saudi-led Arab quartet, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a blockade on it, accusing the latter of supporting terrorism and interfering with their internal affairs, which Doha has repeatedly denied.