Qatar and Turkey have launched a joint electronic platform which both hope would enable Qatari nationals dodge the Saudi-led economic sanctions and buy Turkish products.
The platform named ''Turkish Souq'' has been launched by Qatar Post and Turkish Post and would be based on using Qatari-issued credit cards to purchase products.
It would provide access to up to 5 million Turkish products, as announced by Qatar's Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti.
''Turkish Souq'' which is presently operational through www.turkishsouq.qa would offer Qatar shoppers a wide variety of categories such as clothing and apparel items, home and furniture items, vehicle parts, crafts, toys and sporting goods.
The items ordered would be delivered within seven to 10 working days from the date of payment and would not be subject to customs tariffs if their prices would be below 3,000 Qatari Rials ($824 with each dollar at 3.64 Qatari Rials).
Meanwhile, Al Sulaiti was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying that the e-commerce volume in Qatar was currently 4 billion Qatari Riyals and it might increase to as high as 10 Qatari Riyals billion by 2020 through projects such as ''Turkish Souq''.
Qatar and Turkey are strategic trading partners, and this trade ties have grown as a result of the blockade imposed by its neighbors, Xinhua added in its report.
The rise in relations between Ankara and Doha came after Turkey sided with Qatar following the deterioration of relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt on June 5, 2017.
The four countries have also imposed a series of economic sanctions against Doha, accusing it of funding terrorism, but Qatar denies the claims.
''Turkish Souq'' offers an international shopping and shipping service directly from Turkey to customers' doorsteps in Qatar, Xinhua added.