Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and his Qatari counterpart Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari on Thursday met in Istanbul for the T眉rkiye-Qatar Joint Economic Commission meeting.
During the meeting鈥檚 opening remarks, Simsek highlighted the strong political ties between T眉rkiye and Qatar, expressing gratitude for Qatar鈥檚 support following the February 2023 earthquake in southeastern T眉rkiye.
鈥淭he aim of this high-level dialogue is to strengthen the deep-rooted relations between T眉rkiye and Qatar, as we agreed to work together towards increasing mutual investments, expanding cooperation areas, boosting export financing and financing for large projects and green growth, exploring further trade opportunities, expanding cooperation in housing and real estate investments, facilitating aviation operations, and sharing our experience on economic reforms," Simsek said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also looking forward to cooperating more closely and expanding our partnerships to third-party countries.
鈥淭hanks to our Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with 54 countries, T眉rkiye has access to a $30 trillion market, including the EU, which gives it a resilience against trade protectionism, and we also believe regional integration is the best hedge against vulnerability while there is fragmentation in global trade,鈥� he added.
Al Kuwari noted that last year鈥檚 discussions in Ankara were productive and reaffirmed the ongoing economic partnership between T眉rkiye and Qatar.
鈥淥ver the years, we enhanced our dynamic economic relations with investments and joint ventures,鈥� he mentioned.
鈥淥ur energy cooperation has seen significant growth and contributed to the economies of the two countries, particularly through liquefied natural gas (LNG) deals, namely the 2015 LNG deal, which was a crucial step in reinforcing our long-term commitments.
鈥淥ur countries are committed to exploring new areas for cooperation, as the T眉rkiye-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) FTA, while under negotiation, is an important step towards boosting trade and investment flows, as the agreement is expected to open new markets, reduce trade barriers, and bring a more favorable environment for businesses in the two countries and the region at large,鈥� he added.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance mutual cooperation.
By Emir Yildirim
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr