FACTBOX-Turkey's economic relations with the Middle East

ISTANBUL, June 24 (Reuters) - Turkey has gained unprecedented access to Middle Eastern investors and markets as a result of the ties which the European Union membership candidate has cultivated with regional neighbours.

Last year, nearly 20 percent of Turkey's exports went to the Middle East in 2009, some $19.2 billion worth of goods, compared with 12.5 percent in 2004.

Here are some details of the business interests linking Turkey and the Middle East.

BANKING

Turkey's state-run Ziraat Bank is looking to set up a joint bank in Syria, Syria's Finance Minister said earlier this month, with a stake of up to 60 percent. The next round of talks between the Syrian Finance Ministry and Ziraat, Turkey's largest bank by assets, are expected to occur before the end of June. Other Turkish banks have expressed interest in the Syrian banking sector.

Islamic lender Kuveyt Turk is 62 percent owned by Kuwait Financial House (KFIN.KW). Another Islamic lender Albaraka is owned by Bahrain's Al Baraka Banking Group BARKHA.BH.

Boutique lender Turkland Bank is owned 41 percent by Lebanon's BankMed and 50 percent owned by the Jordan-based Arab Bank plc.

ENERGY

Turkey buys 10 billion cubic metres of gas annually from Iran, which meets about 30 percent of Turkey's domestic needs. Iran is set to receive its first shipment of gasoline from Turkey in at least 18 months in June, industry sources have said.

Iran supplied Tupras with 3.2 million tonnes of crude in 2009, down from 7.5 in 2008 and 8.86 in 2007, according to a Tupras investor presentation. That makes Iran Turkey's second-biggest supplier after Russia (5.48m T in 2009, 6.57m T in 2008, 9.06m T in 2007).

Turkey's state-run pipeline operator is also in talks with Qatar to start imports of liquified natural gas.

FOOD INVESTMENT

Saudi-owned Planet Food World is looking to spend up to $5 billion over the next four years to buy up Turkish land and make investments for agriculture. The total land acquisitions are expected to amount to around 200 square kilometers.

Turkey expects billions of dollars of investment in the food sector from other firms including Bahrain's Gulf Finance House and Abu Dhabi Investment House. With little arable land of its own, wealthy Middle East states have turned to other countries to start food production for their populations.

TELECOMMUNICATION

Oger Telecom, based in Dubai, bought a 55 percent stake in Turk Telekom, Turkey's fixed line monopoly in 2005 for about $6.55 billion. Saudi Telecom acquired 35 percent in Oger in 2008, giving the Saudi firm a 19.25 percent stake in the Turkish operator.

Oger has said it is interested in increasing its stake, while the government looks to sell off an additional 15-20 percent it still owns in Turk Telekom.

PROPERTY

The largest-listed property developer in the Arab world, Dubai's Emaar Properties EMAR.DU, is developing a project on the Asian side of Turkey's largest city Istanbul. It had initially invested $400 million to buy land for the "Istanbul Project", which the company says will be a multi-purpose complex. The company's first project in Turkey was the $700 million Tuscan Valley Project.

PRIVATE CAPITAL

Dubai-based Abraaj Capital owns 45.99 percent of Turkish hospital chain Acibadem (ACIBD.IS) as of earlier this year, the largest stake in the health care provider. The hospital chain will be the operator for other Abraaj healthcare acquisitions. (For main story, click [nLDE65G1D8] (Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Writing by Thomas Grove; Editing by Ralph Boulton)