Turkey will negotiate a free-trade agreement with Arab Gulf states in 2 years
AP | 2008-02-06
Turkey will negotiate a free-trade agreement with Arab Gulf states in 2 years
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Wednesday his country planned to sign a free-trade agreement with Arab Gulf countries after two years of negotiations with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
Gul, who is on a visit to this energy-rich Arab sheikdom in the Persian Gulf, also said Turkey would start importing natural gas from Qatar beginning in 2010. Turkey heavily depends on imports from Iran and Russia and is looking for ways to diversify its gas supplies.
«We are keen on buying Qatar’s gas,» Gul told reporters.
He also said the free-trade agreements with the GCC, which includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman, would «boost ties» and trigger more economic cooperation between Turkey and the oil-rich Arab countries. He did not provide more details.
The Turkish president is on a three-day visit to Qatar and met with ruler, Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, earlier Wednesday.
Gul also announced during his trip an agreement to remove the double taxation of dual residents’ income. About 7,000 Turkish nationals live in this tiny sheikdom, and 22 Turkish contracting companies operate here.
