JEDDAH -- Growing relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey were in focus at the opening of the MACHITEC 2005 at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center yesterday.
"Both countries have shared identical views on some of the regional and international issues, and this exhibition showcasing Turkish machineries and accessories will further cement the bilateral trade ties," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdullah Gul said at the inauguration.
Gul and Ahmed H. Bedaiwi, assistant deputy minister for foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, jointly cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the five-day show.
Both Gul and Bedaiwi spoke at length on the expanding relations between the two Muslim countries at a press conference that followed their tour of exhibits, and hoped that the expo would go a long way in bringing the two business communities closer.
Bedaiwi hoped that the show would further expand the machinery trade and play a significant role in the Kingdom's manufacturing and industry sectors.
Fifty-five Turkish manufacturing and exporting companies have mounted the solo exhibition showcasing their machineries and accessories. A 100-member delegation is representing the participating companies at the event.
The Central Anatolian Machinery and Accessories Exporters' Union is presenting the exhibition with the cooperation of Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd.
This is the largest ever group of Turkish companies reflecting the best of Turkey, from machines and machinery equipment to tools parts and accessories, iron and steel, and raw materials, Gul said, adding that the Kingdom remains one of the most important markets for Turkish industry and this premier event will serve as a unique platform to further explore and expand commercial links.
Turkish machinery producers are displaying a wide variety of choices for buyers of Turkish machinery and seeking cooperation from their prospective partners, agents or distributors. Most of the company-participants are Turkey's small and medium enterprises and first-timers here. "Turkish machineries and accessories are of high quality and competitively priced," he added.
Gul, who is scheduled to hold meetings with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) today, said he would utilize the opportunity to extend support to the OIC on various issues. About the meeting with the IDB, he said: "I myself worked with the IDB in the '90s and so I've lot of friends to meet with."
On the Cyprus issue, he explained that there were two communities involved -- Turkish Muslims and Greek community. "The UN proposal presented a good opportunity to settle the issue. Unfortunately, the Greek side rejected the proposal. We're for a settlement. We're pushing. We've asked (UN Secretary-General) Kofi Anan to initiate the peace process again. The UN proposal is for a compromise ... compromise means to move together. The Greeks are not for compromise and not for living together. From our side, we're pushing for a settlement, but the Greek Cypriots are not ready so far. If they're ready, we're ready."
Saudi-Turkish bilateral trade has reached $2 billion, marking a 17 percent increase in 2004, but the potential is "much higher." Turkish export of machinery and accessories to the Kingdom was worth $38 million in 2004, up by 76.3 percent over the previous year.
The exhibition profile includes woodworking machines, packing and filling machines, tow trucks and self-propelled truck-mounted equipment, die casting machines and parts, food processing and packing machines, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. The profile also includes boilers, construction and mining equipment and machinery cranes, and lifting, loading and transporting equipment, and dyes for sheet metal, pneumatic machines equipment and systems, aside from pumps, turbines
K.S. Ramkumar
© Arab News 2005
