Qatar, through Turkish commercial vehicle manufacturer BMC, will be involved in the production of Turkey’s first locally-built automobile, according to an official of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).
Speaking at the Qatar-Turkey Economic Forum yesterday, TOBB president Rifat Hisarciklioglu said Qatar is part of a consortium involved in the production Turkey’s “first local and national automobile.”
During the forum, Turkey’s Minister of Customs and Trade Bulent Tufenkci noted that the two countries could further enhance investment and co-operation ties in various sectors.
He said Turkey is home to the world’s second largest construction and contracting sector. With 250 construction companies at the global level, he said Turkey is keen to increase co-operation between Qatar and Turkey in the field of construction.
“Qatar and Turkey can join together to produce a similar product… I believe we could be in a position to do that for many years,” Tufenkci said.
The Turkish minister also said that by enhancing trade relations of both sides, Qatar and Turkey can work together through investments in other countries. 
“Large scale energy infrastructure and investments are important for us and important development projects will be implemented in the upcoming terms. 
“In that regard, both countries’ economies complement each other; hence we can enter third country markets with investments. The Turkish private sector, especially in the field of construction, has been quite successful in accessing global markets,” Tufenkci said.
This was reiterated by Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, who told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the event that both the nations have yet to identify which countries could benefit from the Qatar-Turkey collaboration.
Tufenkci also emphasised on Turkey’s support for Qatar during the ongoing economic embargo imposed on the country. He said Turkey had also faced challenges in previous years but had managed to recover its economy.
“In 2016, Turkey stood against an attempted coup, but with the help of the private sector, Turkey’s economy was back on track. In the third quarter of 2017, Turkey recorded an 11.1% economic growth, which is a record achievement,” he said.
Citing another achievement, Hisarciklioglu noted that the Turkish government was able to create jobs for 1.5mn people in Turkey in 2017.





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