In a bid to widen the trade corridor and strengthen economic ties between the UAE and Turkey, and build new bilateral collaborations, a high-profile council will convene in Dubai next week.
Hosted by the UAE-Turkish Business Council in association with the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEİK), the UAE-Türkiye Real Estate Development Construction Roundtable will be held on Wednesday, March 30, bringing together leading contractors from Turkey and key stakeholders from the UAE real estate and construction sector.
Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of the UAE side of the Turkey-UAE Business Council, said: “The visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this year, accelerated efforts by Turkey and UAE to continue building upon strategic and economic ties. Our nations have traditionally enjoyed shared values and brotherhood, set deep in our heritage and cultures. I am confident that we will continue to hail this mutually respectful symbiosis through dialogue as well support each other, our businesses and our nations.”
DEİK/Türkiye-UAE Business Council, under the umbrella of DEİK, was established by signing MoUs with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the UAE Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting as Counterpart Organisations in 2000.
The UAE is Turkey’s first trade partner and it ranks second in direct investments among the GCC countries, with bilateral trade between the two countries in 2020 recorded at $8 billion.
“Our mutual interests and economic cooperation opportunities have been the dynamo of relations between us. The Business Council aims to improve Turkey’s commercial and investment relations with UAE and partnerships in the countries to contribute in improving and developing political, economic, commercial, and cultural interaction between the two countries,” said Nail Olpak, President of DEİK.
Turkish contractors have undertaken close to 150 projects worth $13 billion in the UAE as of January 2022, with Turkish companies investing in and being a part of the UAE market for over 10 years. Turkish investments in the UAE amount to $720 million, according to official figures.
During recent talks to enhance cooperation between both nations, the two sides have discussed plans to diversify economic opportunities of common interest, collaborate on practical steps to develop trade and investment exchange and cooperation, as well as address and tackle challenges through cooperation.
The UAE government has expressed intent on trying to ‘double or triple’ its trade volume with Turkey, while Turkey has voiced their hopes to ‘increase their investment share in the UAE in various fields including renewable energy and infrastructure.
