Erdogan Reveals Gulf Pledges for Large Investments in Türkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar (AFP)
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Erdogan Reveals Gulf Pledges for Large Investments in Türkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has revealed receiving pledges from several Gulf countries to make significant investments in the country.

Erdogan hoped Thursday investment deals would be reached with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates during his visit to the Gulf countries next week.

Erdogan spoke to journalists who accompanied him on his return trip from Lithuania, where he participated in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.

“There are pledges from Gulf countries ... to pump large investments in Türkiye, and we will put the finishing touches during our next tour. He pointed to several visits by Turkish officials to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE to prepare for his visits to the three countries.

Erdogan reiterated willingness to strengthen his country’s ties with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE during his visit to the region.

On Wednesday, the Turkish President received a phone call from his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, who said they would discuss the recent developments during their meeting.

The Turkish Finance Minister, Mehmet Simsek, concluded a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, during which he was accompanied by the Governor of the Central Bank, Hafize Gaye Erkan.

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed 16 cooperation agreements worth more than SR2.3 billion in several fields and investment sectors on the sidelines of the Saudi-Turkish Business Forum, which started in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The Forum reviewed the Saudi-Turkish investment opportunities and the enhanced partnership between the two sides in the fields of urban development, building, contracting, and smart cities in cooperation with the Federation of Saudi Chambers (FSC) and the Council for Foreign Economic Relations of Türkiye (DEIK).

The Forum was attended by the Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majed al-Hogail, and Turkish Minister of Trade Omer Polat.

Hogail said the Forum is an opportunity to enhance cooperation, joint work, and exchange expertise in the municipality and housing sectors.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia is witnessing qualitative progress in different economic and development sectors, of them the municipality and housing sectors, which was achieved through effective strategic planning to realize the goals of Vision 2030.

The Minister expressed his aspiration to strengthen the cooperation between the two sides in real estate development, automation, and infrastructure projects.

Hogail confirmed that Saudi Arabia provides several diverse and promising investment opportunities in a qualitative environment suitable for investment.

Saudi Arabia has started building more than 300,000 housing units in an area exceeding 150 million square meters, with an investment value exceeding SR100 billion, Hogail stated, calling on Turkish companies to invest in real estate development in the Kingdom.



Gold Gains as Dollar Slips on Trump Tariff Uncertainty

Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)
Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)
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Gold Gains as Dollar Slips on Trump Tariff Uncertainty

Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)
Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)

Gold prices rose on Tuesday as the US dollar eased due to uncertainty around President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, with further support coming from top consumer China's central bank adding to its gold reserves for a second straight month.

Spot gold was up 0.5% at $2,648.75 per ounce, as of 1218 GMT. US gold futures also rose 0.5% to $2,660.20.

"The main factor is the softening of the US dollar over the last two sessions, which has provided some relief for the precious metal," said Ricardo Evangelista, senior analyst at ActivTrades.

The dollar index eased towards a one-week low versus major peers as traders considered whether President-elect Donald Trump's tariffs would be less aggressive than promised following a report in the Washington Post, Reuters reported.

Trump however denied the report, deepening uncertainty about future US trade policies.

A stronger dollar makes bullion more expensive for other currency holders.

Traders are setting their sights on Friday's US jobs report for Fed policy clues, along with job openings data due later in the day, ADP employment and the minutes from the Fed's December meeting on Wednesday.

Fed Governor Lisa Cook on Monday said that the Fed can be cautious about any further rate cuts given a solid economy and inflation proving stickier than previously expected.

Bullion is considered a hedge against inflation, but high rates reduce the non-yielding asset's appeal.

Meanwhile, China's gold reserves stood at 73.29 million fine troy ounces at the end of December as the central bank kept buying gold for a second straight month, official data showed.

"By re-entering the market in December, Beijing signaled that its gold acquisition program remains active—a development likely to lend continued support to the precious metal's price," Evangelista added.

Gold prices gained about 27% in 2024, mainly boosted by robust central bank purchases and Fed rate cuts.

Spot silver gained 0.8% to $30.19 per ounce, platinum added 1.2% to $944.39 and palladium rose 0.9% to $928.38.