Turkey wants to be in Arab trade bloc

Turkish Finance minister Mehmet Simsek delivers a speech during the Turkish Arab Economic Forum opening ceremony on April 4 2013.

DOHA: Turkey yesterday proposed to become part of a common market with the Arab world, as Qatar said there were more than 25 Turkish companies operating in its territory and the collective volume of their business had reached a staggering $20bn.

Speaking of the Arab world, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a key Turkish-Arab economic meet in Istanbul yesterday: “Today, we are rediscovering each other again”.

He said a common market comprising his country and the Arab world was the need of the hour. “We must remove all barriers that exit between our people and our countries,” said Davutoglu.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Dr Khalid Al Attiyah, represented Qatar at the Turkish-Arab Economic Summit. Addressing it, he said over 25 Turkish companies were based in Qatar and their total business volume had reached $20bn.

Al Attiyah said he was surprised that when Turkey was trying for membership of the European Union, some in the Arab world were critical and said the country was drifting away from the Arabs.

Now, when it is coming closer to the Arab world, it (Turkey) is being accused of trying to revive its Ottoman heritage, said Al Attiyah.

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