Qatari businesses seen to add significant value to MUSIAD Expo 2022 in Turkey

Qatari businesses will add significant value to the upcoming MUSIAD Expo 2022 to be held in Turkey from November 2-5, vice-president of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association in Turkiye (MUSIAD), Davut Atlunbas, has stressed. He told a delegation of journalists from Qatar during a recent visit to Istanbul that MUSIAD invites Qatari businesspersons in all fields to take part in the global trade fair's 19th edition, which will take place at the Tuyap Istanbul Fair Convention and Congress Centre. He said the expo covers all possible trade sectors and opens opportunities for businesses from around the world to explore new markets and reach out to each others, with good participation from the GCC region.Atlunbas noted that participants in the previous edition of the fair in 2020, as it is a biennial event, reported a 97% satisfaction rate even though it was held amid tough conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It hosted visitors from 102 countries over an area of 14,000sq m. He stressed that it "will once again host more than 100,000 visitors and exhibitors from 124 countries over an area of 25,000sq m".He continued, "There will be participation from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Mena region, including countries such as Azerbaijan, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan, in addition to qualified procurement committees from countries such as Iran and Algeria." Altenbas pointed out that "MUSIAD is an entirely voluntary entity of Turkish businessmen and was founded to include a group of disciplined and highly responsible and reliable businessmen, who would be able to support and protect the interest of foreign investors in Turkiye and offer them the due services free of charge, in addition to addressing and resolving their potential troubles and difficulties, which would reflect positively on the overall business scene in the country". Mehmet Akif Altan, officer-in-charge of the MUSIAD Expo, said the participation of Qatari businesses in the expo would further enhance the excellent relations among the business community in the two brotherly countries, in addition opening wide horizons and scopes of business co-operation among them and international partners. He added that with the Russia-Ukraine war and other global challenges, there has been a pressing need to open up new markets and introduce new routes and rules of trade, and Turkish and Qatari businesspersons would be able to do a lot for the benefit of all of them.Organised by the Turkish embassy in Doha, the visiting team of journalists met Mehmet Ali Ergin, vice-chairman of the board of directors of Re-Pie Asset Management Company. He talked about Turkish funds, which invest in promising and emerging companies and new entrepreneurships, offering them proper financing through shared funding options to help them grow further. He explained that while most GCC and Qatari investors prefer to invest in real estate, around 10% of the assets are owned by GCC funders and shareholders. He encouraged Qataris to invest in asset management funds as they are considered highly profitable long-term investments. Ergin also advised investors to try to diversify their shares and not to pour much capital into a single project or fund as the process, even though highly secured, is subject to loss and gain. "Generally, we carefully study our projects at Re-Pie and only support and fund the projects with proven potential for success and profitability," he stressed.