By Erdal Celikel
ANKARA (AA) - Turkey will continue to meet Qatar's daily and long-term needs through exporting necessary supplies, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said Wednesday.
Since June 5 Qatar has been under a blockade by Arab countries -- including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, and Yemen -- accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.
The Qatari government has denied all the accusations, blasting the blockade as “unjustified” and a violation of international law.
"Perhaps the purpose of the isolation is to create a disturbance by preventing Qatar from meeting its needs within the country," Zeybekci said. "Turkey has not allowed this."
Zeybekci's statements came at an Ankara press conference alongside Qatar’s visiting economy and commerce minister, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassim al-Thani.
"So far, Turkey has exported 15,000 tons of supplies to Qatar. During this period, the total value of our exports to Qatar has reached at some $15 million," he said.
"We hope the ongoing blockade will soon end and everything will go back to normal. We hope that the issues between the brothers [Arab countries] will be resolved within the bounds of brotherhood," Zeybekci added.
- More opportunities for Turkish firms
On how Qatar is dealing with the ongoing blockade, al-Thani said: "Qatar's economy is very strong. Our economy has always shown resilience in the face of regional and global economic crises."
Al-Thani highlighted that Qatar is the world's leading LNG exporter and its economy has been developing rapidly.
"I would like to thank President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish people, and my friend Nihat Zeybekci because Turkey has been standing with us and showing its support since the very beginning of the blockade," he said.
Al-Thani stated that Qatar has been importing necessary supplies from Turkey, especially food, without any difficulty during that period.
"Qatar and Turkey have very close relations. Meetings with our Turkish counterparts about joint projects are continuing. We can make investments in many areas," he said.
On the possible cancelation or postponement of some projects involving firms from the countries imposing a blockade on Qatar, he said:
"In this sense, I can say that there would be more opportunities for Turkish companies in Qatar in the coming phase."
Al-Thani also stressed that preparations for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, which Qatar is due to host, would continue without interruption.