Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry will host Abdullah Gul, Turkish President on Thursday to discuss investments opportunities between the Kingdom and Turkey. Around 150 Turkish businessmen will also be visiting JCCI after their meetings on Wednesday in the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh. “This meeting comes within the framework of the desire of the two countries in strengthening their economic relations and promoting trade exchange,” said Muhammad Abdul Qader Al-Fadhl, the new Chairman of the JCCI. Saudi businessmen, he said, are waiting for this historical visit and they are looking to discuss cooperation with Turkish businessmen in several fields such as real estate, construction, banking, and finance. These are the three important sectors of cooperation especially at a time when the global economic crisis has adversely affected the performance of these sectors, he said. “The visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to Turkey facilitated the bilateral trade agreements. The King's visit paved the way in improving Saudi-Turkish economic relations,” added Al-Fadhl. The meeting on Thursday will be attended by National Committee of the Contractors, Real Estate Commission of the National Council of Chambers, and the Turkish Union of Contractors. Economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have developed steadily over the past four years because of the interest and support of the leadership of two countries, Al-Fadhl said. JCCI statistics show that the volume of imports from Turkey to the Kingdom doubled, from almost SR2.2 billion in 2004 to SR4.7 billion in 2007. There is also an increase in Saudi exports to Turkey which almost doubled from SR4.5 billion in 2004 to about $8.8 billion in the year 2007.
