Turkey eyes sustainable ways to meet Qatar’s needs

By Seval Ocak Adiyaman

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) – Turkey asked Qatar, which has been under a blockade by Arab countries since June, to join hands for sustainable food production, the Turkish economy minister said Thursday.

Nihat Zeybekci, proposed that Turkey, instead of sending finished goods to Qatar, could send raw materials, which Qatar could process at its own plants.

“Production could start here [in Turkey] but continue there [in Qatar],” he said, speaking at a Turkey-Qatar business forum in western Turkish province of Izmir, where his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani was also present.

Turkey has sent a total of 221 cargo-planes of daily use items to Qatar after the blockade, the minister said.

“One of the most important things we need in our future goals is to ensure our sustainable energy and raw material needs,” he said, adding that countries needed to create their own financing opportunities.

The two ministers later gathered for a closed-door meeting.

Since June 5 Qatar has been under a blockade by Arab countries -- including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, and Yemen -- which accuse Doha of supporting terrorism.

The Qatari government has denied all the accusations, blasting the blockade as unjustified and a violation of international law.