(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Doha: Outgoing Turkish ambassador Ahmet Demirok said yesterday that construction work on Turkish Village in Qatar would start 'soon'.
'The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had decided to establish a Turkish Village in Qatar. The Emir and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also laid the foundation stone of the village in 2014. Now, its detailed layout is complete and soon its construction will start," he said. He was taking to The Peninsula on his last day in office.
"Turkish Village is a big project. It will have residential units, shopping centres, school, hospital etc. Having Ottoman architectural style and depicting Turkish culture and traditions, it will symbolize our relations, he said.
Terming bilateral trade potential as ‘huge', outgoing ambassador Ahmet Demirok said that around 200 Turkish companies would showcase their products in upcoming ‘Expo Turkey by Qatar' scheduled to be held in April 2017.
'All kinds of Turkish products will be showcased in the expo but the main stay will be on industrial products, Demirok said.
He said that the total volume of Qatari investments in Turkey was around US$20bn. 'This figure includes both public and private sector investments. Qatar National Bank and Commercial Bank of Qatar have invested in banking sector while Aljazeera's beIN channel also bought a Turkish digital channel, he said while citing examples of Qatari investments in Turkey.
On bilateral trade, outgoing Turkish ambassador said that he was very happy that during his tenure it witnessed a great leap. 'It has almost doubled in last three and a half year during my stay in office as ambassador. There was around a 70percent increase in bilateral trade in 2014, a 25percent increase in 2015. Last year, the growth of trade volume was just 4percent as compared to 2015 figures and it was due to multiple factors like blockade of ground trade route due to Syrian war, he said.
Demirok said that bilateral trade volume in 2016 was US$1.3billion. 'This figure does not represent actual potential as there is a huge potential of bilateral trade. A large number of Qataris are visiting Turkey and also getting accustomed to its products, he said, adding that Turkey was mainly exporting machinery, industrial equipment, steel and food products to Qatar.
He said that Qatar and Turkey were compatible countries. 'What Turkey does not have, Qatar has and what Qatar does not have, Turkey has. Turkey has the technology and human resource while Qatar has finances and entrepreneurship. With joint ventures particularly in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) we can move towards shared progress, he observed.
The outgoing ambassador said that the total worth of various projects being developed or constructed by Turkish companies was around US$18 billion. 'The worth of projects which Turkish companies got during my tenure is US$5.5 billion, he added. He said that in construction sector, Turkey was the best. 'We are best and Qatar deserves the best.
Turkish Village is a big project. It will have residential units, shopping centres, school, hospital etc. Having Ottoman architectural style and depicting Turkish culture and traditions, it will symbolize our relations
He said that Qatar would finance US$12 billion for coal power station in Turkey. 'Agreement has been signed and the negotiations on power tariffs, taxes are still underway, he added. Demirok said that Turkey was also encouraging Turkish investors to invest in Qatar. 'We can use Qatar as a base to reach Southeast Asian countries. Qatar has excellent connections with these countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc.
He said that Qatar was a good lesson for regional countries in terms of diversification of economy. 'Any country depending on one source becomes fragile, he noted. He further said that Turkey was the best partner of Qatar in production-based economy. 'The countries focusing on producing goods like Germany and China are winners therefore Turkey has set its focus on producing products. Dependence on just services provision can make you a looser, he observed.
Lauding the role of Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee in advancing bilateral relations in all fields, he said that after the formation of the committee around 31 agreements of various kinds were signed within its framework.
On Qatar's transformation from hydrocarbon economy to knowledge-based, diversified economy, Demirok said that Qatar was advancing in the right direction with right pace. He said that Qatar was becoming sports capital of the world and Turkey was proud of the fact that Qatar being the first Muslim country was holding 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He said that he considered himself very lucky as he served as ambassador to Qatar. 'I did my best to serve both countries and I am very grateful to the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Ali Thani, the Prime Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the ministers and people of Qatar for their support and cooperation which I received during my stay in Qatar. I am leaving Qatar with a sense of pride and satisfaction.
Demirok said that Qatar was the first country who reacted to last year's botched military coup attempt in Qatar. 'Qatar has always been a true friend in difficult times. He said that like other areas of cooperation, defence relations between two countries were very strong. 'Qatar's security is very important to us. He said that Turkey had achieved self-sufficiency in defence production.
To a question on Syrian crisis, Demirok said that human tragedy in Syria needed to be addressed without any further delay. 'The world should not tolerate bloodshed in Syria anymore. He said that Turkey and Qatar had a common stance on Syria and wanted peaceful yet speedy solution of the persistent crisis.
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