QBA members and officials after the Qatari-Turkish Business Council meeting.

The bilateral trade between Turkey and Qatar, which was $1.3bn in 2014, is expected to increase by 50% this year, according to Turkish envoy.
Terming that the current level of Turkey-Qatar trade “does not reflect” the size of the close relations between both the countries; Turkey’s Ambassador Ahmet Demirok yesterday called on the business communities in both the countries to enhance cooperation in promoting intra-regional trade.
Qatar and Turkey complement each other as the former has information technology while the latter has a strong financial sector, making the partnership “perfect”, he said, addressing the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA), which hosted the Qatari-Turkish Business Council (QTBC), led by its chairman Ethem Sancak.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the Qatari and Turkish businessmen, and the possibility of establishing partnerships and alliances for the benefit of the two economies and also enhance the trade exchange. Besides, they also reviewed the investment opportunities available in both Qatar and Turkey.
“Turkey is now considered an ideal destination for Qatari businessmen because of close relationships between the two countries and geographical proximity as well as the similarity of customs and traditions,” QBA chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani said in the presence of QTBC vice-chairperson Seyda Saglamlar and vice chairman Ercan Ata.
QBA members Nasser Rashid al-Kaaby, Nabil Abu Issa and Maqbool Khalfan as well as its deputy general manager Sarah Abdullah also attended the meeting.
Sheikh Faisal talked about the importance of cooperation in the tourism sector as highlighted that Qataris prefer Turkey as a tourism destination and this sector should be considered to further develop.
He also stressed on the importance of cooperation in the industry sector, considering that Turkey has a long history in industry, especially fabrics, and therefore cooperation in industrial fields should take place between the two countries, to serve the economy of both Qatar and Turkey.
“The results of the official talks between the two countries will be reflected positively on the large economic and trade cooperation between Turkey and Qatar,” Sancak said.