"In the last few years, Turkiye has survived many challenging times including July 15 coup attempt, Covid-19 pandemic and the biggest earthquake disaster in the last century that struck 11 cities in southern Turkiye claiming around 60,000 lives. We are grateful to Qatar for its help to ease the sufferings of earthquake victims," said Turkish ambassador to Qatar Dr Mustafa Goksu.
Marking the 8th anniversary of the July 15 failed coup attempt, the ambassador reiterated the gratefulness of the people and government of Turkiye to Qatar and its wise leadership for the timely support and solidarity.
"We will never forget the solidarity of the brothers in Qatar for our country. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was the first leader to call President Erdogan and show support and HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was one of the first foreign officials to visit Turkiye in the aftermath of the coup attempt," he said.
He pointed out that "in the eight years since the coup attempt, Turkiye has made great progress in various sectors. As a result of Turkiye’s deepening and widening comprehensive policies, Turkiye has spawned the 5th largest diplomatic network globally with 261 missions (146 embassies, 99 consulates general, 13 permanent representations and other offices). Despite the negative repercussions of the July 15 coup attempt along with Covid-19 and the earthquake disaster, Turkish economy continues to grow and is among the 20 largest economies in the world. Besides, international institutions have raised its expectations for the growth rate in Turkiye in 2024."
Regarding Turkiye's diplomatic stand on the issue of the ongoing war in Gaza, he noted that "Turkiye has been working very closely with the countries in the region, especially with Qatar, on the Gaza issue, as in all other regional issues. We are closely following Qatar's efforts to reach a ceasefire and maintain the flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza and appreciate its successful mediation efforts. We also highly appreciate the notable mediation role of the State of Qatar under the leadership of His Highness the Amir of Qatar as well as efforts to secure a ceasefire, as well as providing substantial financial and humanitarian aid for those in dire need in Gaza."
He stressed the strength and bright prospects of the Turkish economy in various areas, pointing out that exports have broken the record, reaching $260bn in 2023. In addition, Turkiye witnessed an increase of tourists from all parts of the world, as it was and will remain one of the favourite destinations and has hosted nearly 57mn tourists in 2023."
The ambassador affirmed the strong deep Qatari-Turkish friendship and continued co-operation in all fields for the best of the two countries and their peoples. Page 10
Turkish ambassador Dr Mustafa Goksu.
