Türkiye, Qatar target $5 billion in bilateral trade

Türkiye, Qatar target $5 billion in bilateral trade
Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat meets Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed in Ankara, Türkiye, 24 August 2026
Reuters

Türkiye and Qatar aim to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said after meeting Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed in Ankara on Monday.

Bolat said the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between Türkiye and Qatar, which entered into force last year, would make a significant contribution to achieving the target.

Turkish contractors have undertaken 206 projects worth $21 billion in Qatar, while around 250 Qatari companies have invested $7.8 billion in Türkiye in sectors including finance, banking, logistics, agriculture, energy and media.

Meanwhile, 1,116 Turkish companies operate in Qatar, mainly in the construction, services and manufacturing sectors.

Alternative trade routes amid Hormuz disruption

Bolat said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had caused logistics and supply bottlenecks, prompting Türkiye to seek alternative routes to maintain trade with Qatar and other Gulf countries.

Türkiye is working to meet demand for consumer goods in Qatar and other Gulf markets, he added.

Under a transit transportation agreement with Saudi Arabia, which took effect on 15 April, Turkish carriers have increased shipments to Gulf countries via Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as via Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

“We will work together to establish these transit and trade corridors on a stronger and more stable basis,” Bolat said.

Economic ties deepen amid supply disruptions

Qatar and Türkiye are now seeking to deepen their economic ties as disruptions to traditional Gulf trade routes continue to affect regional supply chains.

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