Turkey is showcasing its manufacturing expertise at the inaugural “Made in Turkey” trade fair and exhibition that opened at the Doha Exhibition Centre yesterday evening. The traded fair, billed as the first-ever to be organised by the country’s chamber of commerce at the initiative of its embassy in Qatar, drew a large number of visitors on the first day. Officials of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce said the fair is the first major bid by Turkish entrepreneurs to enter the fast growing market in the GCC, in particular Qatar. Some of the officials explained that although there had been minor trade fairs exhibiting Turkish companies, products and expertise elsewhere in the GCC, the latest exhibition surpasses them in terms of the number of participating firms that deal in areas of interest to the Arab population. At the opening of the trade fair, Turkey’s Minister of Trade and Industry Nihat Ergun said he believes Qatar would be a growing market for Turkish products in the coming years. Qatar’s Minister for International Co-operation and acting Minister for Trade and Business HE Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah was with the Turkish minister at the opening ceremony and visited a number of pavilions at the fair. Earlier HE Dr Khalid cut the ribbon to mark the inauguration of the event. The Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Turkey’s Ambassador to Qatar Mithat Rende and prominent Qatar businessman Sheikha Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani were also present. The officials accompanying the Turkish minister said that the trade volume between the two nations was worth more than $1.2bn last year. A senior member of the delegation said he expects a four-fold increase in bilateral trade in the next couple of years. “Already, there is a remarkable improvement in the volume of trade between the two countries compared to the previous years,” he said. Istanbul Chamber of Commerce president Dr Murat Yalcintas said the co-operation between Turkey and Qatar would be vital for the future of the Middle East region. The trade official pointed out that by the end of 2008, Turkey recorded $132bn worth of exports. “Of this, 95% consists of industrial goods,” he said. Dr Yalcintas said the close co-operation between officials of Turkey and Qatar would go a long way in promoting bilateral trade and business. The trade fair features companies dealing in an array of industries including construction, textile, furnishing, energy, transport, electronics, telecommunications, tourism and agriculture. A noticeable aspect of the exhibition is the participation of companies affiliated to a number of provincial business chambers. An official of one of the participating chambers said that there are about 365 regional, local and town business chambers in Turkey, and at the Doha exhibition, members representing at least 80 of them are taking part. The four-day event, boasting of more than 200 Turkish firms, a number of them of international standing, concludes on Tuesday.
By Ramesh Mathew