“THE YEAR 2023 BECAME A TURNING POINT IN TURKIYE-UAE RELATIONS”

Nearly 300 Turkish and UAE businesspeople convened at the Türkiye-UAE Business Forum organized by DEİK

The inaugural session of the Türkiye-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) took place as part of the Türkiye-UAE Business Forum. The event, organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), marked the commencement of the 1st Term Meeting. On October 31, 2023, the Forum convened in Istanbul, drawing the participation of nearly 300 Turkish and UAE business representatives. The forum was attended by Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Special Representative of the Republic of Türkiye, Nail Olpak, President of DEİK, Ahmed Khalifa Al Qubaisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tevfik Öz, Chairperson of DEİK/Türkiye-UAE Business Council, Abdullah Al Hameli, Chairperson of UAE-Türkiye Business Council. The Business Forum addressed topics encompassing trade, investment, contracting, customs, and collaboration in third countries.

ÖMER BOLAT: “THE YEAR 2023 BECAME A TURNING POINT IN TÜRKİYE-UAE RELATIONS”

During the closing ceremony of the Türkiye-UAE Business Forum, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, the Minister of Trade for the Republic of Türkiye, emphasized that 2023 marks a pivotal moment in the relations between the two nations. He highlighted, “In March, a comprehensive economic partnership agreement was signed between the UAE and Türkiye, officially taking effect on September 1. Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat highlighted the impressive economic growth, noting that the trade volume between the two countries surged from USD 10 billion last year to over 14 billion USD in just nine months this year. Our next objective is to achieve 25 billion USD in trade within the next five years.”

AL MANSOORI: “WE ARE WILLING TO ESTABLISH NEW COLLABORATIONS”

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE’s Special Representative to Türkiye, stated that the process between Türkiye and the UAE, which has a 50-year history, has turned into a strategic relationship and said, “We now have a roadmap and agenda for new goals in economy and trade between our countries under the leadership of our state leaders and Ministers. We want to sign new collaborations in infrastructure, defence, renewable energy, services, and many other sectors. We wish to organize our next meeting in the UAE.”

OLPAK: “OUR BILATERAL TRADE RELATIONS WITH THE UAE WILL GAIN A NEW DIMENSION”

DEİK President Nail Olpak said, “We are aware of our responsibility as the business world in line with the goal of reaching a trade volume of $25 billion within 5 years, and we will continue our efforts in this direction. As the business communities of both countries, nurturing the belief that we shall harvest the fruits of our joint endeavours, I extend my best wishes for the success of the goodwill agreement signed with the Abu Dhabi Economic Development Department under DEİK.”