‘Slew of deals to be signed during sixth Qatar-Turkish strategic committee meet’
The meeting will be held in Ankara on Thursday under the leadership of President Erdogan and HH the Amir
THE sixth meeting of the Turkey-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee to be held in Ankara on Thursday under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdo an and the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will bolster the existing strong bilateral relations between Qatar and Turkey, as well as reflect the desire of both countries to expand cooperation as strategic allies in various fields, said Turkish Ambassador to Qatar HE Dr Mustafa Göksu.
Speaking at a press conference, the ambassador said a number of new agreements between Qatar and Turkey will be signed during the 6th strategic meeting in Ankara in addition to the existing 52 agreements expected to reach more than 60 deals between the two countries.
The envoy said further details about the new agreements would be released during the meeting.
Dr Göksu said that Turkish president and HH the Amir had agreed in December 2014 to establish the Supreme Strategic Committee between the two countries.
He added that the Supreme Committee has placed the bilateral relations on an institutional path that guarantees the fortification of previous achievements and broadens its horizons surpassing political success and having expanded it in all sectors.
He said the friendship between the two countries has
been tested a number of times through hardships that both have gone through, and has proved to be reliable, durable and solid.
The envoy added that Qatari-Turkish consensus in policies and principles is one of the most encouraging factors to pursue further growth in the relations as the two countries share the same principles on mediation efforts and humanitarian diplomacy that advances fairness and justice.
Dr Goksu said the trade volume between the two countries reached approximately $1.6 billion at the end of 2019, adding that around 110,000 Qataris visited Turkey in 2019, an increase of almost 450 percent compared to 30,000 in 2014.
He said that more than 170 Qatari companies are operating in Turkey in various sectors, while Qatar’s investments in Turkey have reached $22 billion.
On the other side, he said more than 500 Turkish companies are operating in Qatar and are playing their role in the development of infrastructure worth over $18 billion since 2002.
Talking about cultural relations, the envoy said Qataris comprise around 30 percent of 1,650 people enrolled in Turkish language programme at
Turkish cultural institute Yunus Emre in Qatar.
He said that in addition to the Turkish language, the institute introduces students to Turkish culture, arts and literature, and holds cultural and artistic activities and courses, such as traditional archery, painting with oil, paper marbling and tile paintings.
He praised the labour reforms introduced by Qatar and described them as steps that will help in attracting foreign investments as well as better the working environment.
On preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Dr Goksu said despite the slowdown in global economic and commercial activities due to COVID-19 epidemic, 90 percent of the projects related to the tournament are completed well before time.
He added that Turkey and Qatar have signed a security cooperation protocol regarding the tournament.