The 7th session of Qatar-Turkey Joint Supreme Strategic Committee is due to be held in Doha on December 7, Turkish ambassador to Qatar Dr Mustafa Gukso said. He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will head an official delegation that will include a number of ministers, businesspersons and parliamentarians. The two-day session is expected to witness the signing of more co-operation agreements between the two friendly countries.
He said that since the committee was first established in 2014, more than 60 agreements have been signed and six joint statements issued, covering various fields including economy, industry, defence, security, investment, energy, culture, intellectual property rights, education and youth. He said that such continuous meetings and exchange of visits reflect the keenness of the two countries to continue communication and talks to co-ordinate the joint efforts, and further enhance the already distinguished and excellent bilateral relations. Besides, the meetings of the committee make the foreign policy views of the two countries closer.
The ambassador expected that the new agreements that will be signed in various fields will enhance the already strong ties between the two countries and would reflect positively on both of them. He said that Turkey and Qatar agree on the same views regarding various international files such as Syria, the crisis in Libya, and the fight against terrorism and the two countries are major partners in many agreements that will be implemented soon.
Further, there is a constant co-ordination between Ankara and Doha regarding the Afghan issue, and they maintain ongoing talks on the humanitarian situation and the security and political developments in Afghanistan for the best of the Afghan people and international peace and security. The fruits of such co-operation can be seen clearly at the operation of Kabul Airport.
"Turkey really appreciates the humanitarian care given by Qatar to the Afghan people and providing some of them with temporary shelter until they move to their next destination. I have visited one of these places hosting Afghan children evacuated from Kabul airport to Doha, and the comprehensive care and services provided by Qatari authorities really reflects the pioneering humanitarian role of Qatar," said Dr Gukso.
Regarding the economic and trade relations of Qatar and Turkey, he stressed that these are witnessing an unprecedented leap forward as the volume of trade exchange between the two countries has gone up to around $1.5bn, with Turkish exports to Qatar of building materials, electric appliances, electronics, furniture, carpets, jewellery and food products among others.
Meanwhile, Turkey imports from Qatar untreated aluminium, LNG, plastic products and others. There are also 183 companies with Qatari capital working in Turkey currently, while there are 711 Turkish companies working in Qatar, with 47 of these having 100% Turkish capital, in addition to 15 companies registered at the Qatar Free Zone. Until December 2020, Qatari investments in Turkey amounted to $33.2bn, while Turkish investments in Qatar totalled $32bn.
The ambassador stressed that investment in Turkey is safe and secure, and the Turkish government has enough experience and capabilities to manage any potential crises; besides Qatari investments in Turkey will not be negatively impacted in any way as they are protected and the government aims to make them succeed.
He added that Turkey has become a favourite tourist destination for Qataris and many Turkish citizens are keen to come to Qatar.
The ambassador highly appreciated the ongoing preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they are going according to the schedule and progressing well in spite of the global impacts due to the spread of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
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