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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
The second edition of Expo Turkey by Qatar 2018 opened to thousands of visitors in Doha on Wednesday.
The three-day exhibition, in which more than 150 Turkish firms are participating, is being held under the patronage of the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Held with the aim of promoting trade relations and mutual cooperation between the two countries in several sectors, the expo was inaugurated by the Minister of Economy and Commerce HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed al Thani.
Sheikh Ahmed also made a tour of the exhibition along with Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade Bulent Tufenksi and a number of dignitaries from Turkey and Qatar.
Talking to mediapersons on the occasion, Sheikh Ahmed said that Expo Turkey by Qatar is one of the most important regional events.
He said the fact that the event is being held in Doha for the second year in a row is a reflection of strong relations between Qatar and Turkey.
The exhibition reflects the keenness of the two sides to put in place practical mechanisms to develop the level of economic cooperation, the minister said, adding that it would also increase the volume of trade and explore innovative and promising horizons to open up new fields to enhance joint investments.
He pointed out that the exhibition would play a vital role in bringing the private sectors of the two countries closer.
The expo is an ideal platform for Qatari importers to get in touch with prominent Turkish industrial companies under one roof, the minister said.
Held for the first time last year, Expo Turkey by Qatar aims to double trade deals between Turkey and Qatar in its second year.
The exhibition focuses on the investment opportunities in seven main sectors, namely food, IT, furniture and decoration, health, machines and machinery equipment, construction and real estate.
Among the leading firms from the seven main sectors, Turkish real estate and construction companies are making their mark on the fair this year.
The exhibiting companies include industry leaders Tekfen, Emlak Konut, Artas f1'ddn'feaat, Sinpa'fe REIT, Dido Group, 'c7ilek Mobilya, Teknik Yap'fd, Tahincio'f0lu, Katmerciler, T'fcrksat, and Dome & Partners.
Bilateral meetings and meetings will be held during the exhibition to strengthen commercial partnership between the governments and private sectors in the two countries.
Turkish Ambassador to Qatar HE Fikret Oze told Qatar Tribune that Qatar has already invested around $19 billion in sectors such as energy, telecommunication, tourism, food, health, insurance, defense, banking and shipyard.
Qatar is preparing to make more investments in Turkeyf0's other sectors like real estate and automobile, the ambassador said.
The envoy said the expo is an ideal platform for Turkish companies to enter the Qatari market.
"We saw Turkish exports to Qatar rising by 46 percent in 2017. We expect an even bigger jump this year as many Turkish products are expected to enter the Qatari market this year," he said.
