The Emir of Qatar in Istanbul on a working visit (Mustafa Kamagi/Anadolu Agency)
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al ThaniToday, Friday, with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoganStrengthening bilateral relations and coordinating positions towards many files.
Yesterday evening, Thursday, the Qatari Emiri Diwan announced in a statement that Al Thani went to Turkey on a working visit, following an official visit to Iran that lasted for one day, where he is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.
His Highness the Emir of the country arrives in Istanbul on a working visit to the sisterly Republic of Turkey. #qenahttps://t.co/X6Wt2Ib7Ao pic.twitter.com/j0i3ShPfI8
— Qatar News Agency (@QatarNewsAgency) May 12, 2022
And the Qatar News Agency (QNA) quoted the Turkish ambassador in Doha, Mustafa Kokso, as saying that the Emir of Qatar will discuss with the Turkish president the strengthening of bilateral relations and the coordination of positions between the two countries regarding many files.
The Turkish ambassador described the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Turkey as “very important”, and that it comes in light of regional and international developments, “and therefore will be important to strengthen Turkish-Qatari coordination in many situations and files.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Doha last December, where he met the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Erdogan also headed his country’s delegation to the meetings of the seventh session of the Supreme Strategic Committee between the two countries, where the two countries renewed their joint commitment to continue and strengthen regional and global efforts to establish international peace and security, combat terrorism and resolve conflicts by peaceful means.
At the conclusion of the visit, Qatar and Turkey signed a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding, which included endowments and Islamic affairs, media, communication, culture, disaster and emergency management for standardization, small and medium enterprises and investments.
The two sides pledged to continue strengthening bilateral relations in the financial services sector and to continue working in close financial coordination, and welcomed the signing of an agreement to extend and amend the exchange agreement of the Turkish lira and the Qatari riyal between the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and the Central Bank of Qatar.
In its final statement, the committee welcomed the progress made in mutual investments over the past year, as Qatari investments in Turkey amounted to $33.2 billion at the end of 2020.
The two sides agreed to increase cooperation between them in infrastructure projects in both countries.
Qatar noted the role of Turkish companies in infrastructure development projects on its soil in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and development plans within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Turkey is one of Qatar’s most important trading partners, as the volume of trade exchange between the two countries has witnessed a remarkable increase, as it rose from $340 million in 2010 to $2.24 billion in 2019, and the two sides hope to raise it to $5 billion.
More than 711 Turkish companies operate in Qatar, including regarding 664 companies with Qatari and Turkish capital, 47 companies with 100 percent Turkish capital, and 15 Turkish companies in the free zone, in addition to more than 183 Qatari companies operating in Turkey.
