Dubai: Turkish businessmen and expats have expressed their excitement about the Turkish President’s visit to the UAE, which, they say, will take bilateral trade and investment ties as well as community bonding between the two countries to new levels.
In view of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the UAE from Monday, Gulf News spoke to a few Turkish expats from different walks of life and gauged their sense of optimism about stronger ties and the potential benefits.
Turkish steel manufacturers and textile firms could be obvious beneficiaries once the UAE-Turkey trade ties kick up a gear or two, industry experts said. Trade volumes were at Dh26 billion plus in the first six months.
“If the global supply chains remain in disruption for the near future, Turkey’s manufacturing sector can expect higher orders from the UAE,” said a senior official in the construction trade. “On the project side, Turkish suppliers can compete quite strongly on prices and quality with any international supplier.”
Where Turkish sourced goods could benefit is on import costs. At a time when shipping costs are stuck on a high, the UAE-based importers would definitely try to leverage sourcing from within the region.
In recent years, several Turkish fast-fashion brands had ventured into the local retail space through franchise deals. “This is another space where a greater Turkish presence will become obvious,” a retailer said. “The full potential of Turkish brands’ aspirations in the UAE space has never been fully realised. This is a time to change that.”
Creating opportunities
Ali Ozbay, regional director of Marketing and Communications at Rixos Hotels, UAE, said President Erdogan’s planned visit is important as it creates opportunities in multiple fields.
“Turkey is a beautiful and unique country filled with history, culture and heritage. It offers many advantages to foreign investors due to its location, business opportunities, skilled labour and exchange rate. The Turkish economy has witnessed record growth in recent years and positioned itself at 11th place amongst the strongest economies in the world. In terms of hospitality, Rixos, where I work, is an example of the large presence of Turkish brands here. We have a strong presence with four hotels in the UAE and two more new properties coming up in 2022,” he added.
Strengthening relationships
Nevzat Esen, founder and owner of Turkish Village, said: “As a Turkish national who has been living in the UAE for over 20 years, I am happy to witness ties between the two countries go from strength to strength. I have no doubt that the President’s visit this week will only bolster the relationship and benefit fellow Turkish expats living in this country.”
Turkish expat Erdem Sari, who is the regional manager of a logistics company, said he is very happy to note that his country head will be visiting the UAE.
“I have lived here with my family for the past four years. We have been looked after so well and with utmost respect from the UAE. We feel loved and blessed. And we hope and pray the visit of the Turkey political head will go a long way in strengthening bilateral relations between the nations. “
He added: “I live here with my wife and son. We feel safe and secure in the UAE. I certainly wish for better relations and opportunities for both countries.”
Aydin Kaynar, the owner of Dondurma ice creams at Expo 2020 Dubai, said the friendship between UAE and Turkey goes a long way and he is loving his Expo stint in the UAE.
“We were excited to celebrate our National Day too with the people of the UAE. Long live our friendship. “
Turkey’s participation at the Expo marked a new era of cooperation between the two countries.
Stronger bonds
Another Turkish expat, Melek Gok, said she had been very excited about the news about the high level visits between the two countries since November last year.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, had visited Turkey in November and Turkish President Erdogan had announced that he would visit the UAE in February. I have been excited about these visits since then,” said Gok, a food engineer.
“Several agreements were signed at that time and I am sure some more will be done now (during the Presidential visit). I think it is in everyone’s interest, especially for expats like me with Turkish roots.”
“With the bilateral ties between the two countries strengthening, we are looking forward to stronger bonds between the communities of both the countries as well.”
