Turkey and Qatar on Tuesday signed 15 different agreements to enhance cooperation between the two countries, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 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.
Erdoğan 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. Erdoğan and Sheikh Tamim also attended the signing ceremony of 12 agreements.
After the signing ceremony, Erdoğan 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.
Erdoğan also visited the joint military command headquarters in Doha and spoke with soldiers and commanders. Speaking there, Erdoğan 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.
In the last two decades, relations between Turkey and Qatar have witnessed rapid development in various fields. In a volatile region like the Middle East, the ability of the two countries to maintain strong relations and a convergence of views on many regional and international matters represent a rare "distinguished experience" that has provided a strong basis for increased interdependence and cooperation between the two allies.
While relations between Turkey and Qatar officially began in 1979 with the opening of the two countries' embassies in Doha and Ankara, they witnessed a major boost recently. In 2008, the first Turkish-Qatari Business Forum was held in Doha in the presence of Turkish then-President Abdullah Gül. In the same year, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to start comprehensive cooperation in various fields. In 2013, Erdoğan inaugurated the new headquarters of the Turkish Embassy in Doha, and Qatar was the first Arab country he visited after assuming the presidency in 2014. In December 2014, Erdoğan and Sheikh Tamim signed an agreement to establish the Joint Strategic Committee between the two countries.
Doha hosted the first session of the Joint Strategic Committee and a milestone achievement was made as the two countries agreed to cement relations between their respective armies. Other sessions followed, with the two countries taking turns hosting. Over the years, the two countries have widened their horizon of cooperation to include health, technology and scientific cooperation, and intellectual property, among other areas. Of all the agreements signed since the establishment of the Joint Strategic Committee, defense and military cooperation has made the fastest progress with an agreement reached in December 2014 to station Turkish forces on Qatari soil. The Turkish Parliament ratified the deal in March 2015. The new headquarters of the Turkish-Qatari joint forces, known as the Khalid ibn al-Walid Base was opened in December 2019 in the presence of senior military leaders from the two countries.
In the spirit of fraternal relations, Qatar was the first Arab country to condemn the failed coup attempt on Turkey in 2016. Qatar's support, which came even before the coup was foiled, was acknowledged by Erdoğan, who received a phone call from Sheikh Tamim on the night of the failed coup attempt. Sheikh Tamim expressed his condemnation of the coup attempt and reiterated his country's support and solidarity with the Republic of Turkey. In affirmation of Qatar's support for Turkey, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was the first foreign official to visit Ankara to reiterate his country's support for Turkey just two weeks after the failed coup attempt.
On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt abruptly severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade in hopes of making it comply with a long list of demands. The four states accused Doha of "supporting terrorism," an allegation vociferously denied by Qatar, describing the Saudi-led embargo as a violation of international law. But the Turkish response was decisive. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar immediately stated that Turkey would not close its base in Qatar. Two days later, on June 7, the Turkish Parliament promptly approved legislation allowing the deployment of Turkish troops to Qatar. Furthermore, Turkey sent shipments of food, water and medicine to Qatar via air and sea freight. The Turkish government also promised to provide the necessary materials to build projects for the FIFA World Cup 2022. In return, Qatar announced $15 billion (TL 206.6 billion) in direct investments in the Turkish economy, following the sharp decline in the Turkish lira in August 2018.
Also, Turkey and Qatar have been cooperating on numerous regional issues, including the Libyan crisis and Afghanistan. In addition to bilateral trade and diplomatic relations, the two countries played a pivotal role in supporting the legitimate Libyan government and defending Tripoli against putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar's forces in a 14-month offensive. They also cooperated to reopen Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Taliban took over following the government's fall and the withdrawal of the United States forces.
