Turkish real estate companies spotlighted a raft of projects at one of the leading industry exhibitions in the Gulf region in an endeavor to expand the network and draw in investors.
A national pavilion hosting 14 investment and real estate companies at the Cityscape Qatar, the country’s leading real estate investment, development and network event, marked Turkey’s first participation at the annual showcase.
Şekib Avdagiç, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO), which organized the participation from Turkey, dubbed the event "an unmissable opportunity for Turkey to highlight some of its new projects and attract international investment."
The 10th edition of the three-day event at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center ran between June 20-22.
"Cityscape Qatar is a great opportunity for us," Avdagiç told reporters. "For the first time, we are hosting a national pavilion made up of 14 investment and real estate companies all looking for opportunities. This platform is a highly important avenue for the promotion of Turkish real estate projects with the aim of attracting high net worth investors."
The event came as Qatar prepares to host the World Cup this year, marking the first time the tournament is held in the Middle East.
The Gulf country has undergone a dramatic transformation and is said to have spent at least $229 billion on infrastructure in the 11 years since winning the bid to host the World Cup.
"The World Cup, which will start in November, will bring significant commercial mobility to Qatar," Avdagiç said. "We are working to ensure that our entrepreneurs take advantage of these opportunities and to increase the contribution of the real estate sector to our exports."
Avdagiç stressed the ever-growing economic and commercial ties between Turkey and Qatar. He said exports to the Gulf country amounted to some $414 million in the first four months of this year, while imports totaled $222 million.
"This year we are anticipating that we will be able to exceed last year’s total bilateral trade of $1.7 billion. We are pleased to see that despite the global crisis and COVID-19, the increasing trend in the volume of trade between the two countries continues," Avdagiç said.
Turkish contractors have undertaken around 11,253 projects worth some $457 billion across 131 countries over the last 50 years, he added.
"We make good use of the geographical position of our country, its proximity to the countries of the region, its trained workforce, technical know-how, adaptation to technology, work experience, discipline and competitive advantage. Therefore, we expect to reach even higher business volumes," Avdagiç said.
Turkish contractors rank ninth in Qatar when it comes to construction projects, which have reached $19.1 billion, he added.