(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek has called on Arab states to explore investment opportunities with Turkey.
Simsek's call came as he spoke in Istanbul on Wednesday at the 10th Turkish-Arab Economic Forum, which gathered ministers, prominent public and private sector decision-makers from Turkey and Arab countries together for a wide range of agenda-setting discussions.
He said: "I am calling on the Arab countries, we can grow together."
Simsek said stability and clarity were necessary to move forward and explore investment opportunities on both sides.
Inviting Arab states to discover and invest in Turkey, Simsek said Turkey's relations with the Arab world had surged significantly over the last decade.
He said: "Today, MENA - the Middle East and North Africa region - has a 26 percent share in Turkish exports, while it was 12 percent in 2002.
"MENA has 398 million people, but with Turkey, its population will exceed 460 million people. We should join forces."
Saying the Middle East used to be a source of science and technology as well as tolerance and peace, Simsek said: "We are going through hard times, we should not let the sectarian and ethnic conflicts denounce the region.
"Ethnic and sectarian differences are sources of richness, not reasons for war or conflict."
Mohammed Fateh al-Naceri, Ambassador of the League of Arab States to Turkey, said the forum paved the way for Turkey and Arab states not only to strengthen economic relations, but also improve the mutual respect and common interest.
He said: "When we firstly started the forum 10 years ago, the trade volume between Turkey and Arab states could not exceed $7.5 billion.
"However, in 2014, the total trade volume has reached $46 billion."
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