Biggest Turkish Expo takes place in Dubai

The 'Made in Turkey' expo was formally opened to the public on 22nd of May by His Excellency Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Governmental Sector Development, Abdulrahman G. Al Mutaiwee, the Director General of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Turkish Ambassador Selim Karaosmanoglu, Turkish Consulate Ihsan Yucel and EXPOTIM's Managing Director Bülent Erten.

Turkey is the next big thing to enter the investment and trade arenas around the region as it will soon join the European Union and has already acquired a free trade agreement with the bloc. This significant development attracts GCC investors and companies such as Emaar and Dubai Properties who have already announced multi-billion dollars worth of investments in Turkey.

Bülent Erten says, 'As a bridge between Europe and Asia, Turkey has been working hard to establish itself in the market as a major supplier of high quality products at competitive prices. This is the second time that we are holding the expo in the UAE and we aim to encourage new and existing trade relations between Turkey and the Gulf region.'

Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayip Erdogan recently announced Turkey's plan to increase its trade within the GCC significantly by increasing the volume in the UAE alone to about $6 billion. After the implementation of this plan Turkey will become the GCC's doorway to the European market as it is a candidate country with free trade access to the whole continent.

'Dubai was chosen because of its position in the region and because there is a big need for Turkish machinery and building materials in this fast growing hub. Turkish products and firms offer European standards at affordable prices which is exactly what the GCC market is looking for,' adds Bülent Erten.

According to the UAE Contractor's Association, the Made in Turkey expo will have significant value for the region as there is a significant shortage in machinery and building materials with the current construction boom.

'We welcome this event in the region because the UAE specifically is experiencing significant problems and shortages of quality machinery and building materials. Bringing Turkish firms to the UAE and to GCC contractors will translate into big leverage on the construction industry,' said Ahmed Bukhatir, board member of UAE Contractors Association.