Trade exchange between Qatar and Turkey stood at over $2bn in 2019, according to figures provided by an official of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) during a business forum held in Doha yesterday.
Bilateral trade volume between Qatar and Turkey continues to increase, said TIM deputy general secretary A Eser Erginoglu during the event, which was held in the presence of Burak Guresci, the commercial counsellor from the Turkish embassy in Qatar, and Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) board member Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad al-Thani.
“Both countries’ bilateral trade volume saw a continuous growth from $375mn in 2009 to reach more than $2bn last year. But there is still more room for further expansion of these figures,” Erginoglu pointed out.
She said Turkey’s top exports to Qatar in 2019 include jewellery amounting to $106mn, aeroplanes ($101mn), and iron and steel ($27mn), while major imports from Qatar comprise of aluminium alloys ($172mn), polyethylene ($55mn), and medium oils and preparations ($11mn).
Erginoglu noted that Qatar and Turkey share significant co-operation in construction industry. She said total cumulative value of construction projects completed by Turkish contractors in the Qatari market exceeded $10bn.
The forum and B2B meetings yesterday gathered some 150 Qatari companies, and over 500 B2B meetings were conducted. The Turkish delegation led by Erginoglu comprised of 34 companies from various industries.
One-to-one meetings between Turkish and Qatari companies are expected to further increase bilateral trade between Turkey and Qatar, noted Erginoglu, who added that TIM is the umbrella organisation of Turkish exporters, which represents nearly 100,000 exporters and 27 different industries in Turkey.
The participating Turkish companies represent the following products and services — consumer products, furniture, home textile, apparel, menswear, womenswear, construction and building materials, machinery and industrial supplies, engineering products and services, food and beverage, agricultural products, automotive, armoured vehicles, lubricants, and automobile care products.