Doha, March 14 (QNA) - Qatar Chamber (QC) board member Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Al Ansari said that the trade exchange between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye reached QR 8 billion in 2022, compared with QR 6.8 billion in 2021, an increase of 18 percent.

This came in a meeting Al Ansari has held on Tuesday with President of the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association (IMMIB) Orcun Kocaman and the accompanying delegation. The meeting touched on enhancing cooperation relations between both entities, in addition to bolstering cooperation between the Qatari private sector and its Turkish counterpart in all sectors and means to developing trade exchange between both countries.

Al Ansari said that Turkiye is one of the most important trade partners to Qatar, noting that the development of the two countries' bilateral relations in all fields is due to the presence of direct marine routes, the number of agreements signed between them and the abundance of mutual investments on both sides.

He indicated that there are many Turkish companies working in Qatar in various sectors such as trade, construction, contracting, healthcare, services, real estate, industry, hospitality, and furniture, noting that there are many investment opportunities in Turkiye in various sectors such as real estate and tourism, as it is considered a distinguished investment destination.

QC board member stressed that the industry sector is one of the fast-growing sectors in Qatar year after year, noting that this growth requests more exchange of expertise and the provision of raw materials.

He also confirmed that the chamber supports and encourages between both sides to enhance cooperation and establish commercial and economic alliances whether in Qatar or in Turkiye.

On his part, Orcun Kocaman said that Qatar is of great importance to the Association, noting that Qatar ranked 14th globally and 3rd in the GCC regions that received Turkish exports. He stressed that due to the boom Qatar witnessing there are great opportunities for companies from the Association to discuss available investment opportunities and enter into partnerships with Qatari business owners.

Kocaman indicated that the minerals and natural stones sector is one of the leading sectors in Turkiye, as the volume of Turkiye's exports of minerals in 2022 amounted to about USD 6.47 billion, noting that Turkiye comes in the fourth rank globally in marble and limestone exports.

He also said that the Association includes about 5,500 members, constituting about 46 percent of the total exports of Turkish minerals, and its products are exported to 57 countries around the globe. (QNA)