Turkish diplomat values Jordan’s business prospects

Jordan's strategic location and the free trade agreements the country is signatory to are key assets that help attract Turkish investors to start businesses in the Kingdom, a Turkish diplomat said Tuesday. "Jordan is not a small market. Through Jordan, Turkish investors can penetrate markets across the four corners of the globe as Jordan has free trade agreements with Canada, the US, EU, Singapore and the rest of the Arab states," Huseyin Demir, commercial counsellor at the Turkish embassy in Amman, said yesterday. Demir added that once the membership of joining the Gulf Cooperation Council is complete, Jordan can help Turkish investors and businesspeople penetrate the Gulf market. The Turkish diplomat said Jordanian and Turkish businesspeople reached several agreements last week to start a variety of joint investments in the Kingdom and the region. The deals, which entail implementation of joint ventures in fields of food, construction materials, textile, ready-wear, furniture and other sectors, were concluded during a visit last week by a delegation of over 140 Turkish businesspeople representing MUSIAD, the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association, and TUMSIAD, the all Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association. "The discussions were very fruitful and I am very optimistic about the partnerships and investments opportunities the two sides looked into," Demir said during an interview Tuesday. While in Jordan, the Turkish businesspeople were briefed on investment opportunities in the Kingdom, said Demir, who added that MUSIAD signed memoranda of understanding with the Jordan Chamber of Industry, Amman Chamber of Commerce and Jordan Chamber of Commerce. The Turkish businesspeople, he said, participated in Al Rakhaa First International Trade Fair where they networked with their counterparts from several Arab states and discussed potential cooperation and investment opportunities. The Turkish diplomat expressed hope that exchange of trade delegations and businesspeople will help boost the trade volume between the two countries. Embassy figures indicate that Jordan’s annual imports from Turkey stand at about $600 million annually. The Kingdom’s exports to Turkey stood at about $57 million in 2010, according to the figures. Food and textile are main imports by Jordan. The Kingdom’s main exports to Turkey are chemicals, pharmaceuticals and vegetables.