Turkey and Qatar on Tuesday signed 15 different agreements to enhance cooperation between the two countries, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met in Doha to co-chair the seventh meeting of the Turkey-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.
Erdogan arrived in Doha on Monday upon the invitation of the ruling emir of Qatar for the committee meeting. After the two leaders met face to face, agreements in several fields, including trade, investment, development, culture, youth, sports, diplomacy, health, religious affairs and media cooperation, were signed with the participation of the relevant ministers. Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim also attended the signing ceremony of 12 agreements.
After the signing ceremony, Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim led the committee meeting. At the meeting in Doha, the Turkish president, Qatari emir and the relevant ministers reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relations and discussed steps that could be taken to deepen the cooperation. In addition to bilateral relations, views on regional and international issues were exchanged during the meetings.
Praising the strong relations with Qatar, the president said Monday that the two countries have signed dozens of agreements in the military, political, economic and cultural spheres, in line with the history of friendly relations. He highlighted that both countries are special in the sense that they have been able to preserve their stance in the face of regional obstacles in the past several years.
The new agreements will further strengthen ties between Turkey and Qatar, especially in light of fresh initiatives and reconciliation steps in the region, the Turkish ambassador to Doha said Monday. Turkey and Qatar will take additional steps to achieve further rapprochement and enhance bilateral cooperation, the Qatari envoy in Ankara also said Sunday.
Ankara and Doha enjoy strong relations, particularly since the 2017 blockade of the Gulf country by Saudi Arabia and others. The two countries have strengthened military and economic ties in recent years. The sixth meeting of the Turkey-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee was held in 2020 in the Turkish capital Ankara. Ten agreements were signed between the two countries in the presence of the two leaders. Within the framework of the Supreme Strategic Committee meetings, a total of 68 agreements and protocols were signed between the two countries before.
Erdogan also visited the joint military command headquarters in Doha and spoke with soldiers and commanders. Speaking there, Erdogan said Turkey does not differentiate between Qatar’s security and stability and its own.
He also said that Turkey tries to conduct its cooperation with Gulf countries based on mutual interests and respect.
“As Turkey, we attach great importance to the peace and well-being of the entire Gulf region, along with Qatar,” he added.