Republic Day of Turkey 2018 - English 29 10 2018 Section 1

SUPPLEMENT PUBLISHED BY

IN COOPERATION WITH THE TURKISH EMBASSY IN MUSCAT

95TH

ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

29 . 10 . 2018

45TH

ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH-OMANI DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Ambassador’s Message

T

oday, as we are celebrating the 95th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic, it gives me immense pleasure to greet the Turkish citizens living in the Sultanate of Oman, our Omani brothers and sisters and Oman’s esteemed expat community. Today, Turkish citizens all over the world are gathering together to enjoy the joyous occasion of the proclamation of Republic and remembering the founder of our Republic and the triumphant commander of the War of Independence, Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as well as His comrades and all our martyrs whose sacrifices changed the destiny of the Turkish nation.

The Turkish Nation proclaimed with its blood and spirit on 29 October 1923 that its will could not be fettered and its destiny shall be written by no other than Turkish Nation itself. The spirit and courage which attained victory in Turkish War of Liberation is still alive today, just as it was 95 years ago. We owe modern Turkey for this courage that has shown itself again and again, against all difficulties our Nation has faced.

The heroism our Nation has demonstrated two years ago on the night on 15 July 2016, against the heinous coup attempt by the terrorist group FETO is another indicator of this spirit and our Nations’ will to be independent.

Turkish people, regardless of their political affiliations, took to the streets on the night of July 15 and the successive evenings to stand guard their democracy. They stood bravely in front of the tanks and reclaimed their democratic rights.

Today, under the leadership of H.E. President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey takes concrete initiatives to promote stability and prosperity in its region and beyond. It aims to establish strong relations with all partners to foster cooperation, development, peace and prosperity.

In 2017, Turkey was the biggest humanitarian aid donor worldwide and the most generous donor according to the ratio of official humanitarian assistance to national income. Turkey is member of NATO, OIC, G-20, MIKTA, D-8, BSEC and dialogue partner of ASEAN as well as negotiating partner of the EU. Turkey is the cochair of UN Initiatives of Alliance of Civilizations with Spain, held the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in 2011 and the first ever UN World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. During Turkish Presidency of G20 in 2015, Turkey pursued a constructive agenda on the basis of three I’s (Inclusiveness, Investment, and Implementation), highlighting international solidarity in addressing issues like equal distribution of wealth.

With its increasing weight in international arena, Turkey is well cognizant of her role in the region.

Turkish Republic and the Sultanate of Oman share the common vision of approaching the crisis from a peaceful perspective and figuring out the problems through dialogue in the region.

The Sultanate of Oman, which has gone through a tremendous transformation under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and as a result of his visionary guidance emerged as a model for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and in the wider world. Turkey attaches great importance to developing all aspects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the Sultanate, in order to realize its priorities of promoting peace and security all over the world and in the region, to deepen political ties, enhance economic and trade cooperation and

President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan

to further develop people-to-people interactions.

As the 11th Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Sultanate of Oman, I have assumed my duties as of August 2018. Even in the short time I have been in the Sultanate, I had the opportunity to witness the special relations between Turkey and Oman, which dates back to 16th century, and the Omanis’ affinity for their Turkish brothers and sisters. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and all the Omani officials for the warm welcome and cooperation shown to me since my arrival in Muscat.

In addition to the 95th anniversary

true potentials of both our countries.

We as the Embassy, are working closely with our Omani counterparts and friends to move our countries towards exemplary relations.

High level visits are key to strengthening relations between the countries. Such an opportunity has arisen last year on this day, 29 October 2017, when Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, H.E Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited the Sultanate. On the framework of this visit Minister Çavuşoğlu had fruitful talks with his counterpart H.E Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs and was also received by His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said

Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Sultanate of Oman Ayse Sozen Usluer

take the necessary steps in doing so.

The enhancement of our military and defence industry cooperation to the levels commensurate with the mutual interests of our two states and peoples is our sincere will and desire. I am very pleased and thankful to see that this desire and will is also shared by the Omani authorities.

In addition to bilateral high level visits, within the framework of Turkey’s close cooperation with the Sultanate on international platforms, recent years have witnessed several high level visits from the Sultanate to attend international events held in Turkey.

His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tariq

million US dollars and we hope that at the end of 2018 this figure will rise up to 500 US million dollars.

However this is far from reflecting the true potential of our capacities.

We are determined to tackle this issue and do our utmost to enhance bilateral trade volume to a figure befitting of our trade cooperation.

Apart from the Joint Committee meetings which is the backbone of economic cooperation at the institutional level, together with the Omani authorities we also encourage our private sectors to communicate and establish business ties with each other. To that end, the re-establishment of The TurkishOmani Business Council in 2017

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu with Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah during his visit to Muscat o n 29 October 2017.

of the Proclamation of Republic, this year also signifies the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Our respective Embassies has opened in the years 1985 in Ankara and in 1986 in Muscat, which played a pivotal role in developing bilateral cooperation.

Since then, as a result of the political will and joint effort of both sides, our relations has continued to deepen and strengthen in a variety of areas, from political to economic and trade relations, military cooperation to cultural ties and currently we enjoy excellent bilateral relations.

However, we believe there is always room for greater cooperation and especially in some areas our level of cooperation is far from reflecting

Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers.

Another important visit was that of H.E. Mehmet Şimşek, the then Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey in 9-10 May 2017 within the framework of the 10th Session of Turkey-Oman Joint Committee Meeting held in Muscat, which His Excellency Şimşek cochaired with H.E. Dr. Yahya al Jabri, Chairperson of The Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZAD). During this meeting, delegations had the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of economic and trade relations and exchanged views on further developing cooperation in this area and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to demonstrate the will of both sides to

al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan attended the Extraordinary Summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in 13 December 2017 and H.E. Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs attended another Extraordinary Summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in 18 May 2018, both accompanied by high level officials, including ministers.

Our bilateral trade volume in 2017 increased to 316 million dollars and our trade volume for the first eight months of this years has increased by 80% compared to the previous year and already reached 372

was an important step. Since its reactivation, they held four meetings, two in Turkey and two in Oman, where the business circles of both countries got together to discuss trade and investment opportunities and partnership possibilities in their respective fields. We are confident that these meetings will produce Turkish-Omani joint ventures both in Turkey and in the Sultanate.

Enhancing people-to-people contacts between our Nations has a vital role in fostering bilateral relations and is an area we attribute great importance to. We are working closely with our Omani partners in increasing cultural exchange and tourism between our respective countries.

Turkish Airlines Turkey’s flag

carrier, has been flying directly to Muscat from Istanbul since 2012, the Sultanate’s flag carrier Oman Air has also started direct flights between Istanbul and Muscat as of June 2018. Another Turkish airline company, Pegasus, has also started direct flights between our countries four days in a week.

This demonstrates the interest of our Omani brothers and sisters to Turkey as a touristic destination.

Omanis tourists visit various touristic and cultural sites of Turkey from Istanbul to Bursa and from Yalova to Trabzon. The number of Omani tourists visiting Turkey has doubled from 2016 to 2017 and with the additional flights, we expect to see greater numbers in 2018.

It is also worth mentioning that, Turkey can offer a viable alternative for Omanis seeking medical treatment abroad as a medical tourism destination, with its internationally acclaimed hospitals and facilities and experienced medical personnel. In 2017, 700,000 patients, mostly from Europe, Russia, Turkic Republics and Gulf countries has visited Turkey to seek treatment.

I am happy to experience many Omani brothers and sisters approaching me in functions and greeting me in Turkish that they have learned from following our TV Series and expressing their desire to learn more about the language and the culture. Turkey currently is the second biggest TV series exporter in the world. Turkish TV series are being broadcasted from Gulf to Africa, from Latin America to the Balkans. We are now working on establishing a Turkish Language and Culture center in Muscat in the coming days.

Prestigious Turkish universities that are in top 500 in the international rankings offer high quality undergraduate and graduate education in a variety of fields.

Apart from providing education opportunities at an international caliber as well as a wealth of knowledge and experience, Turkey also offers scholarships to outstanding international students from all over the world to study in the most prestigious universities in Turkey, under the scholarship programme known as “Turkey Scholarships.” It is my greatest pleasure that recently one Omani student was awarded this scholarship for the accademic year 2018-19.

In the framework of our bilateral cooperation in education, we are also committed to open a Turkish Language and Literature Department at Sultan Qaboos University with the vision of making Turkish one the most selected courses of the University as a second langue and providing Omani students the service of learning one of the most spoken languages of the world.

Our 2700 citizens living in the Sultanate are the true Ambassadors of Turkey to the Sultanate and the bridge between our countries. Their presence here gives us much joy and we are proud of their contributions to the Omani Renaissance under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. On this day of glory, I would like to once again celebrate the proclamation of our Republic with my fellow citizens and express my heartfelt thanks to the people and the government of Sultanate of Oman for their warm welcome extended not only to me but to the Turkish community in the Sultanate.

As I conclude my remarks I would like to renew my wishes and prayers for the continuation of the strong friendship between Turkey and Oman and the prosperity of Omani nation. @TCMuskatBE @T.C.MuskatBuyukelciligi

95TH

ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

Turkey’s Humanitarian Diplomacy #EnterprisingandHumanitarianForeignPolicy

H.E. President Erdogan and Emine Erdogan in the Turkish hospital in Mogadishu/Somalia.

TIKA’s housing project in Gaza/Palestine.

TIKA Aid to South Sudan.

D

rawing from its own experiences, Turkey is an ardent advocate of international solidarity and partnership with a view to building a safer world, saving human lives and protecting the environment, through a sustainable and collective strategy.

Turkey has been a leading actor in humanitarian diplomacy with its focus on the human cause and through its official development and humanitarian aid especially for the one and half decade.

According to the OECD Development Assistance Committee, Turkey’s official development assistance (ODA) amounted to USD 8.142 billion in 2017. Humanitarian assistance has the biggest share in our ODA with an amount of USD 7.208 billion. Turkey was the biggest humanitarian aid donor worldwide in 2017 and the most generous donor when the ratio of official humanitarian assistance to national income (0.85%) is taken into consideration.

Turkey has been pursuing an open door policy for Syrians who had to flee their homes in the past seven years due to ongoing violence. Over 3.5 million Syrians are currently hosted in Turkey.

Around 230,000 of them live in one of 21 temporary protection centers. Turkey has spent USD 31 billion (including municipalities and Turkish NGOs), whereas the total contribution we received from the international community is far from meeting the expectations (USD 526 million internationally, plus 1.9 billion Euros under FRIT from the first 3 billion Euros pledged by the EU).

Turkey maintains its position as the biggest host country according to the UN Refugee Agency figures.

More than 600 thousand Syrian children continue their education in Turkey. The schooling rate among Syrian children in the age of primary education is 97 percent.

Furthermore, the number of Syrian teenagers studying in Turkish universities is over 20 thousand.

As the humanitarian crisis worsened in Yemen, Turkish government stepped up its humanitarian relief efforts in 2015 and 2016. Turkey’s AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) and Turkish Red Crescent

are working together on the field.

In July 2017, around 9 million US dollars’ worth of medicine and medical equipment for two field hospitals, food and clothing were sent to Yemen. Also in 2017, Turkey pledged 1 million US dollars during High-level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen and transferred it to UNICEF the same year. In addition to the aid provided, around 150 Yemenis wounded during the conflict has been brought to Turkey for treatment.

Turkey hosted the first ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in May 2016. The Summit helped better address today’s complex humanitarian challenges.

It constituted another indication of Turkey’s determination to pursue a leading role in the humanitarian field. One of the key achievements of the WHS was the recognition that

the importance of mediation in prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts transcends into the multilateral sphere. In 2010, Turkey spearheaded, jointly with Finland, the “Mediation for Peace” initiative within the UN in order to raise awareness for mediation. The Group of “Friends of Mediation” formed within this framework has reached 56 members (48 states and 8 international/regional organizations). The Group has facilitated the adoption of four General Assembly resolutions on mediation so far. A similar group is co-chaired by Turkey-FinlandSwitzerland at the OSCE. As part of its leading role in the field of mediation, Turkey also hosts “Istanbul Conferences on Mediation”. The four conferences held in Istanbul so far. The 4th one was under the theme “Surge in Diplomacy, Action in Mediation”.

Food Aid to the Philippines.

First Lady Emine Erdogan’s visit to Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh.

the old debates on humanitarian and development divide should be overcome through a new way of working - NWOW. In this context, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the WHS, Turkey hosted a high level event and a New Way of Working Workshop in İstanbul on 18-19 May 2017, which aimed at further unifying and strengthening collective efforts to assist the people in need.

Turkey, with its growing

means and capabilities pursues an enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy.

Turkish diplomatic outreach has grown immensely during recent years, currently totaling 240 missions abroad. With this figure, Turkey has the fifth largest global network all over the world.

Likewise, the number of foreign missions in Turkey has grown correspondingly and reached 269 missions.

Harran Container City. Şanlıurfa/Turkey.

In addition Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency-TIKA has 61 Coordination Offices in 59 countries. Yunus Emre Institution has 54 Cultural Centers in 43 countries. Turkish Airlines flies to 299 cities and 302 destinations in 120 countries.

Turkey’s humanitarian diplomacy is not only about providing humanitarian aids but also it targets to bring peace and stability to the countries through

peace building, capacity building, and state building endeavors as well as providing training for police and military forces. Turkey’s efforts in Somali is a perfect sample of such relationship.

Turkey assumes active role in prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts, including through mediation, and in fostering mutual respect and common values around the globe.

Turkey’s efforts to highlight

Turkey, as a Summit Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), hosted the first ever OIC Member States Conference on Mediation on 21 November 2017 in İstanbul, with the theme “Surge in Mediation: The Role of OIC”.

With this perspective, Turkey welcomes all mediation endeavors in the region and supports the idea of founding a similar mediation group in the region.

45TH

ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH-OMANI DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Study in Turkey Scholarships Program, accepting 5.000 international students each year from all around the world. This program covers accommodation, tuition fees, healthcare, and even travel expenses. With the help of these scholarships, international students are able to study at some of the best universities in Turkey, gain useful insight, skills, and perspective and, most importantly, build a bridge between Turkey and their home country. Today, more than 20.000 international students are studying in Turkey with the support of these scholarships. For further information and to access the online application form, you can check https://www.turkiyeburslari. gov.tr/en/english-home/ Turkish universities are also hosts to a wide range of exchange programs with universities in

W

ith prestigious universities and attractive opportunities, the number of international students coming from 180 different countries to study in Turkey reached nearly 110.000, making the country one of the top choices to study abroad.

More than 200 globally recognized Turkish universities provide highlevel specialized education in every academic field.

Both public and private universities, such as Istanbul University, Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University (METU), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Hacettepe

University, Ege University, Bilkent University, Sabanci University, Ibn Haldun University and Koc University offer innovative and research-oriented environments with the aim of developing, sharing, and using knowledge for the benefit of society. Among those, METU, Boğazici University, Bilkent, ITU, Hacettepe, Sabancı Universities are listed as Top 500 Universities in global rankings for several years.

For those who would like to study in public universities, the Turkish government offers a great opportunity with its Turkiye

different parts of the world. The Mevlana Exchange Program, for instance, encourages students and academics, regardless of their nationality, to study or teach for one or two terms in any university from Brazil to South Africa, to India which has signed an agreement with a Turkish university. The exchange program between Sultan Qaboos University and Marmara University enabled 120 students to come and study in Oman between 2013 and 2018.

Tuition fees and the cost of living in Turkey are also fairly affordable compared to other destinations in the West. Depending on the program and on whether the university is private or public the tuition fee varies but does not exceed 1.000 US dollars per year for public universities.

95TH

ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

Discover the Potential of Turkey T

oday, as we celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, we are also proud to witness that the country is the 17th in the world, 5th in Europe, and the biggest economy in the Middle East in terms of power purchasing parity. As a G20 member country, Turkey will be among 1 trillion US dollars volume economies in 2023.

It has been a decade since Turkey ended the process of standby agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Now in 2018, Turkey is on the brink of a major transformation and a determinative power in its region.

On the other hand, it has reached the potential of a technology capable of producing its own weapons and even high-tech defence software.

The country’s robust economic growth, strong domestic market, strategic location, favourable demography, skilled labour force, liberal investment climate, tight fiscal policy, young and large population are only a few among plenty of reasons to invest in Turkey. Investors may thus seek to benefit from these advantages which are all uniquely found in one place.

Tight Fiscal Policy

Turkey has long been pursuing a tight fiscal policy which lessens its fragility to sudden attacks on her economy.

Through this disciplined policy Turkey has been able to overcome the global economic crisis of 2008 without being harmed and breasted the exchange rate fluctuations which hit Turkish Lira against Dollar as a result of deliberately triggered financial speculations.

Turkish lira quickly recovers now and Turkey’s economy continues to keep its growth track and offer lucrative investment opportunities.

Turkey’s public debt to its GDP ratio is around %28, outperforming the European Union’s Maastricht criteria of %60. On top of that, the household debt to GDP ratio is 17%, thus much lower than the average 36% in developed countries and 59% around the world. In a newly announced New Economic Programme that predicts more tightening fiscal policies, the budget deficit will be maintained at an average of %1.8 for the next three years.

As a country that has low public borrowing, high economic growth, unshakeable banking system Turkey’s economy is solid and strong, all in all it is promising.

New Istanbul Airport is opening today on October 29, 2018

Discover Turkey’s Potential

The main goal of the Turkish government, who accomplished to lure averagely 13 billion US dollars and 200 billion US dollars in total investments since 2003, is to continue making Turkish economy attractive for foreign investors. The rule of law and fluid legal procedures in business contracts make the country attractive for Foreign Direct Investment.

Turkish economy has been a point of focus due to its captivating average growth rate of %5.7 between 2003 and 2017. During this period, the GDP per capita increased threefold and exceeded 10.000 US dollars. Among countries with populations of over 50 million, there are only nine that have an income per capita of over 10.000 US dollars in 2017, and Turkey is one of the few developing countries in that list.

In addition to a vibrant domestic market, Turkey stands out as the country with the largest youth population in Europe with half of its population under 32 years old.

Turkey will continue to maintain its demographic advantages over the next two decades and the increasing working age population with low dependency will continue to support economic and business activities.

The domestic market in Turkey is well connected with key markets.

Turkey’s connectivity provides investors with easy access to lucrative markets. Owing to Turkey’s agreement with the European Union on the Customs Union, trade between Turkey and the European Union is carried out without custom duties, quantitative restrictions or additional fees. On top of that, an initiative to modernize the Customs Union, which will contribute almost 20 billion US dollars to wealth on both sides, was launched between Turkey and the European Union. In addition to such an intertwined economic interaction with approximately 20 trillion US dollars economy, Turkey signed free trade agreements with about 30 countries.

Marmaray and other High Speed Train projects.

Turkey’s geographic location provides direct access to lucrative markets. Turkey’s flagship air carrier, Turkish Airlines, flies to the highest number of destinations in the world.

Within a four-hour flight radius, the airline enables to reach 1.6 billion people and a total of 24 trillion US dollars GDP. On the 90th anniversary of the Republic Day, President Erdoğan inaugurated an undersea railway tunnel called Marmaray connecting Asia and Europe. With this project, London was connected to Beijing with uninterrupted railway; a true gift for world trade routes. Today, on the 95th anniversary of our Republic Day, we are proud and happy to inaugurate the first phase of the world’s largest airport that will turn Turkey into global aviation hub.

MARMARAY –Railway Train under the Bosporus

The new Airport of IstanbulOpening Today This new airport will bring novelties in eleven different fields. There will be 3.500 take-off and landing per day and a capacity of parking 500 airplanes at the same time. The airport’s annual capacity will be 90 million and is expected to reach 200 million passengers at the end of its development.

The economic impact analysis indicates that the new airport will lead to the employment of up to 225.000 people by 2025 and will contribute between %4.2 and %4.9 to the national economy.

On the one hand, Turkey realizes mega infrastructure projects, on the other, the country offers investment opportunities in strategic fields in which domestic production cannot meet the needs. The prominent sector in this regard is energy. The more Turkish economy grows the more Turkey’s energy consumption increases. For this reason, in line with Turkey’s 2023 vision, the current 80-GW installed electricity capacity is expected to reach 120 GW by 2023 through further investments to be commissioned by the private sector. Moreover, Turkey seeks to generate %30 of its energy requirement from renewables.

As part of its efforts to provide sustainable and reliable energy to consumers, Turkey offers investors favourable incentives, such as feed-intariffs, purchase guarantees, connection priorities, license exemptions, etc., depending on the type and capacity of the energy generation facility.

The transformation of the electricity market in the last 15 years increases reliability to investors. In Turkey, the share of the private sector in electricity generation was %32 in 2003 and this share increased to %75 in 2017 with arrangements that rendered the Turkish energy sector more investable and profitable.

Another attractive sector that foreign investors, and especially Gulf investors, prioritized is real estate. Between 2015 and 2017, the share of Gulf investors who invested in Turkey’s real estate sector was about %25. In 2017, property sale in Turkey soared by %22.2 compared to the previous year, due to favourable climate conditions, historical attraction, and natural beauties in the cities like Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa, Yalova, and Trabzon.

45TH

ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH-OMANI DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS between Turkish and Omani business circles.

In Oman, Turkish contractors are being awarded many prestigious infrastructure projects and have been successful in delivering their promises.

With their quality and competing prices, the introduction of Turkish raw vegetables and fruits as well as the dairy products and processed food in Oman would be an emerging field of trade between the two countries.

Turkey offers a various tastes in food and agriculture sector.

Health sector is another area of cooperation with tremendous prospects. In the last decade, Turkey’s Health Sector has been transformed and is growing rapidly. With its competent medical team and world class hospitals equipped with state of the art equipment, Turkish hospitals are attracting people seeking treatment abroad all over the world. The most correct address for Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery and hair transplant is also Turkey. Bearing in mind the geographical as well as cultural proximity, we believe Turkey is a great destination for the Omani citizens seeking treatment abroad.

The Turkish government has recently started offering many rebates and incentives to foreigners who intend to invest in the real estate sector. Foreign buyers are exempted from paying the 18% value added tax (VAT) when investing in real estate if the payment is done with foreign currency, the ownership of the property is retained at least one year, and the property is sold for the first time. Most importantly, with the latest amendments, the amount required for foreign citizens to obtain Turkish citizenship through real estate investment has been lowered to 250.000 US dollars from 1.000.000 US dollars.

Trade with Turkey

Turkey is a great trade partner with its variety of sectors. Turkey’s trade volume in 2017 reached 391 billion US dollars with 157 billion US dollars in export revenues and 234 billion US dollars in import expenditures.

In Turkey’s export, the automotive

sector is occupying a significant place, followed by knit clothing and textiles, domestic appliances, medical equipment, and agricultural and food products. In recent years, the salient sector that has been successfully and rapidly growing is the aviation and defence industry.

Turkish-Omani economic and trade relations Turkey and Oman have great potential in economic and trade relations. The prestigious Turkish companies operate in Oman whereas Omani businessmen show significant interest in making trade with their Turkish counterparts particularly during the last decade.

Turkish companies join in health, food, textile, building, housing, and infrastructure Expos taking place in Oman and from time to time become partners of these programmes.

Turkey not only imports and exports from/to Oman but also invests in Oman, transfers know-how, qualified

personnel, and technology to Oman.

Our trade volume reached to 375 million dollars in the first eight month of this year. It increased 80 percent comparing to the last year’s same period. We believe this number does not reflect two countries’ true potential.

Turkish and Omani trade relations deserve better than these numbers.

For this reason, our immediate target should be to raise the trade volume to 1 billion US dollars.

The acceleration of our trade relations in this year is a result of high level visits between the government officials as well as constant contacts between Turkish and Omani businessmen. The visit of the then Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek’s visit and the holding of the Joint Economic Committee meeting after five years in 2017, the re-activation of the Turkish-Omani Business Council and their biannual meetings in Turkey and Oman are paving the way for greater cooperation

Mining is a significant field of creation of cooperation mechanisms between Turkey and Oman in searching and discovering industrial raw materials and metals, particularly chrome, iron and copper. A scientific and technical consultancy group may contribute into the development of new projects in mining.

With the development of more than 600 state of the art projects by Turkish aviation and defence industry, Turkish aviation and defence companies provide a variety of options in different fields of defence sector.

It is a reference point for all that the %65 military equipment of NATO’s second biggest army, the Turkish Armed Forces, was provided by Turkey’s local companies. This is a clear indication of trust in local companies whose export revenue leapt to almost 2 billion US dollars last year in a very short time.

Turkish companies in defence sector are competitive and efficient with the experience and the know-how.

Turkey offers a profitable investment environment, along with competitive trade opportunities. It is, therefore, time for Turkey and Oman to discover each other’s potential.

95TH

ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

The Most Real Dream:

Turkey

T

he breathtaking natural beauty and the cultural and historical texture of Turkey blend dream into reality, as well as East into West.

There are many different reasons to discover this dream came true; the passion of being lost in the Roman, Seljuk, and Ottoman historical heritage, the desire to pursue peace in the endless greens of the Black Sea region, the portrayal of the seasonal transitions of the nature in Abant and Yedigöller, and the opening of your eyes in Cappadocia and Pamukkale to realize the fine line between dream and reality are just a few among hundreds of other reasons.

The friendliness, tolerance, and hospitality of the Turkish people are the main factors that make the country the 7th most visited in the world. Every convenience is provided for those who wish to travel to Turkey. In fact, for citizens of 108 countries, including the Sultanate of Oman, there is no need even to visit a Turkish mission in order to obtain a visa, which you can get by simply visiting the www.evisa.gov. tr website and filling the online form in just a couple of minutes.

Turkish Airlines flies to more destinations around the world than any other airline, thus making it the highest performing airline.

Of the 55 airports in Turkey, 22 are open to international flights, making the country an easy access from anywhere in the world.

Seven Regions, Four Seasons: Explore Istanbul Istanbul, the magical meeting point of East and West, is a city you bring along rather than a city you leave behind. With the unique view of Topkapı Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia Museum, Galata Tower, and the Maiden’s Tower from the window of the plane that starts its landing to Istanbul, you are attracted to the beauty of the city even before meeting the land.

The Topkapı Palace not only acts as a home to history, but it also

displays Islamic holy artefacts just facing the unique Bosphorus. The Prophet Muhammad’s cloak, hair from his beard, the case containing his tooth that was fractured in the Battle of Uhud, his arrow and sword, the container from which he drank water, Prophet Moses’ stick, the swords of Prophet David, Caliph Ali, Caliph Abu-Bakr and Caliph Omar, Prophet Yusuf’s robe, Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatima’s shirt, and hundreds of similar sacred artefacts carrying the fragrance and blessing of the Prophet’s century to this day are exhibited in the Holy Artefacts section of Topkapı Palace.

If you have not yet disappeared in the historical peninsula, it is a good time to get to the Grand Bazaar with a 15-minute walk among the smell of delicious Turkish food. When entering the Grand Bazaar, which is the world’s largest and oldest bazaar, who knows which Sultan you will enter the same door from? You can find carpets, silver and gold jewellery, tiles, leather and textile products, marbles, bags, rugs and souvenirs in this market in which 3.600 shops are located.

Ballooning in Fairy Tales Could there be hats on rocks? In the middle of Anatolia, in Cappadocia, as a result of the erosion caused by rains and wind of the hardened lava following volcanic eruptions over millions of years, a wonderful nature is revealed that expands our imagination. This wonder of nature, described as rocks wearing hats, is called “fairy chimneys” by its occupants centuries ago. You can also enjoy the unique scenery of Cappadocia’s amazing natural wonder by watching the sunrise from the balloon.

The balloon tour in Cappadocia, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, starts with a pleasant scare that shakes your heart, but quickly draws you into the world of imagination. On the one hand, the shape of the mountains and the “fairy chimneys” bestowed by nature bring you to the depths of

the past, while it offers spectacular views to immortalize the moment on the other. Oh! And do not miss the Goreme Open Air Museum in front of the balloon tour.

“Green Bursa” and “Beautiful Yalova” Bursa, dazzling its visitors with the richness of its unique monuments belonging to Byzantine and Ottoman periods, is one of the most important touristic attractions of Turkey after Istanbul in terms of cultural tourism potential. This city, which has been the capital of Ottoman Empire between 1335 and 1363, houses the third important sacred centre of Christianity after Vatican and Jerusalem in the boundaries

45TH

ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH-OMANI DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS of Iznik. Bursa as known with the nickname “Green Bursa” was situated on the itinerary of the road to western civilisations “Historical Silk Road”, and had become one of the main cities of culture, trade, and industry in the 15th century.

Today, Bursa offers a variety of attractions to tourists from hot springs to historical sites like the Grand Mosque and Kozahan (bazaar famous with its silk shawls) and to the entertainment on the Mountain Uludag with one of the world’s best ski resorts.

The city of Yalova is located in the Marmara region of North West Turkey. Yalova is a small city with most its parts accessible on foot. Lying between Istanbul, Bursa and Kocaeli, it is possibly best described as a green haven between three major cities.

Yalova has a beautiful stretch of beach with a great selection of beachside restaurants and even a small fun fair. Termal Hot Springs is a must to visit as part of the city, particularly for those who suffer with joint pains and related conditions.

Alternative Holiday Resorts in Turkey There are more than 50 hotels where Islamic sensibilities are considered on Turkey’s most beautiful aquarium beaches. With 25 thousand bed capacity these hotels serve their customers with separate swimming pools and beaches for male and female, include mescids in frequent corners of the hotel, take care of halal food and offer more peaceful environment. Most people prefer to go those hotels if they rather opt for a calm atmosphere. In addition to the various resort hotels of Turkey’s southern coast, these hotels become alternative for every preferences.

Black Sea Region The Northern Coast of Turkey lies on the south of Black Sea well known with its greenness.

With its deep green forests, high mountains, beautiful plateaus and deep valleys, Black Sea is one of the most special and

geographically rich regions of Turkey. The people of Black Sea are great lovers of fishing, the sea, corn, tea and hazelnut. The people of Black Sea region are known with their sense of humor and deeply dedicated to the earth.

Turkey’s Black Sea region has also 18 main cities for you to explore. The ones who look for mountain holiday, the cities of Artvin, Rize, Trabzon, Ordu and Samsun up to the west coast till Istanbul have the best views of green and blue lakes. Adventurers who like hiking, climbing, cycling should visit the mountains of Rize and enjoy the green. But the food will be another reason that you will be visiting this part of Turkey for second and third times.

It’s now time to visit Turkey and experience the full harmony between dream and reality.

Besides Istanbul, Cappadocia, Abant and Yedigöller, Ankara, Kars, Denizli, and Gaziantep, several other Turkish cities are also waiting for you to discover their different mysteries and surprises. In case you need to ask something, the Turkish Embassy in Muscat @TCMuskatBE and our embassies all around the world will be ready for you with a freshly brewed tea service.

To find a suitable cultural and tourism destination for yourself, visit www.hometurkey.com/en and don’t forget to follow the @ Turkey_Home Instagram account.

SERKA TAAHHUT INSAAT A.S On the auspicious occasion of 95th anniversary of the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey, we extend our most heartfelt gratitude to

Mustafa Kemal AtatĂźrk, the founder of our Republic and we wish peace and prosperity to our Nation proudly celebrating this special day.

We are proudly building the infrastructure of Duqm to transform it to a major logistics and petrochemical hub through the vision of His Majesty

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said