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UAE's growing Turkish community upbeat as President Erdogan arrives in UAE

Expats say Erdogan's visit will bolster ties between the two countries

The fast-growing Turkish community in the UAE have said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the region will strengthen the countries' political ties and advance business relations.

Erdogan arrived in Abu Dhabi on a two-day state visit to the UAE on Monday, February 14. The two countries will sign numerous agreements after the leaders hold bilateral talks.

The President and his wife Emine Erdogan are also expected to visit Expo 2020 Dubai and participate in Turkey’s National Day celebrations.

Ahmed Kayhan, CEO of Reindin Real Estate Information and advisor to the CEO and chairman of Dogus Group and executive board member of Dogus Group Dubai, said: “President Erdogan’s visit to the UAE is a positive one. It will promote businesses and attract tourists to both countries. The UAE and Turkey have strong political ties and business relations especially in the fields of agriculture to enhance food security and sustainability, real estate and tourism.”

Kayhan, who has been in the UAE for 17 years, said: “Technology companies from Turkey are seeing the UAE as the main gateway for the GCC and Africa and such a vital visit by the Turkish President would boost the trade ties. Many UAE business persons will also look out for Turkey investment opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Arda Atalay, the regional director of Linkedin, said: “I am happy about President Erdogan's visit to the UAE. This is a great achievement and will further strengthen the relationship between the two nations. Also, I can see a big potential for business opportunities from this important visit.”

Atalay added: “It will help boost trade between Turkey and the UAE and create more business opportunities for the Turkish people.”

Kerim Unluyildiz, a partner at Old Bazaar General Trading in Dubai, said: “We are excited about President Erdogan’s visit to the UAE. It is a very significant visit and an important step towards the growing strategic relations between the two nations. His visit will help promote long-term business relationships between Turkey and the UAE.”

Kerem Kuyucu, the co-founder of Justlife (previous known as Justmop), said: “We are bullish and optimistic about the future ties between the countries with UAE committing more than $10 billion in investments in Turkey’s energy and other key sectors.”

“The benefits of Erdogan’s visit to UAE are not limited to certain sectors but a wide spectrum. When a president of a country visits another country that has made a commitment to invest $10 billion, then it creates a notion in the entire market that the two nations have a bright future and they’re close friends. So, I think most of the local Turkish businesses will benefit from the visit,” said Kuyucu.

Ali Cagatay Ozcan, the co-founder of Justlife, said: “We have 300 employees from 19 different nationalities. We also created job opportunities for more than 25,000 people. The UAE government recognised our services and rewarded us with the Golden Visa.”

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Ozcan said they are extremely optimistic about the UAE's future and they realise that many more investors and entrepreneurs from Turkey as well as other countries coming to UAE to start businesses. “Hopefully, we are going to be part of this growth journey. The visit is going to have a tangible effect in the immediate and medium-term,” he added.

“With the visit of Tayyip Erdogan, the relationship between the countries is going to be better and better. There will be more money and trade flows between, more entrepreneurs coming into the region as there will be more synergies in different fields. Not just one sector, but overall all the industries are going to benefit from the visit, hopefully,” he stated.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com