A Welcoming Home

İlker Kılıç Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Dubai on the hospitality enjoyed by Turks residing in the UAE on Türkiye National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai

On 15 February 2022, we will celebrate our National Day at Expo2020 in Dubai, with the attendance of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye. It is a meaningful instance, as Dubai is home to a rapidly growing Turkish expat community of currently over 25,000 and over 1,000 Turkish or Turkish-founded companies.

Turks and Turkish companies have been important members of the UAE society and economy, contributing to its development and growing role in the region and beyond. Around 85 per cent have chosen to settle and operate in Dubai. Today, there are even third generation Turks born in Dubai, calling it home, as the previous generations did, and as scores of others, having arrived in the past decades, do.

Indeed, they feel home, thanks to the hospitality extended by the leadership. They also have the opportunity to live out their national identity. They gather for key national celebrations, compete in community sports events, shop at Turkish markets, send their kids to Turkish courses on the weekend, and even listen to local live Turkish bands. Turkish companies, on the other hand, trade, offer services, build and manufacture in the UAE, contributing to the economy and the bilateral trade volume of around $8 billion, making both countries one another’s largest partners in the region. We were glad to observe that both expats and companies in Dubai lived and worked unhindered by the past political challenges.

Therefore, faithful to the Expo 2020 Dubai theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, our people and companies working and thinking together, have built and will continue to build a better future for our countries. The visit of the President will surely further cement our relations and boost the morale of our community and companies, attracting even more in the coming years.