To enhance the strong and strategic brotherly relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey, Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani started an official visit to Turkey yesterday.
The two countries look forward to strengthening the strong brotherly ties and strategic relations between them, which have developed and rooted over many decades, to cover the security, political, military, economic, investment, development, cultural and other sectors to achieve the common interests of the two countries and their brotherly peoples.
Qatar-Turkey relations, which officially began in 1979, with the opening of the two countries’ embassies in Doha and Ankara, are strong and solid at all levels. Its strength was increased by the establishment of the Joint Higher Strategic Committee between Qatar and Turkey in 2014, which Doha hosted its first session in December of the following year. Since its establishment, seven meetings have been held, equally between the two countries, resulting in the conclusion of more than eighty agreements in various fields.
Mutual official visits at the highest levels between the two countries, as well as political consultations, do not stop, as Doha and Ankara are linked by exceptional friendship and brotherhood relations in their distinction and giving due to the great rapprochement at the level of leaders and people and the common denominators between the two brotherly countries, and the unlimited solidarity between them in times of crisis, along with the harmonious political visions regarding many files and issues. The two countries also share one political orientation that adopts dialogue, diplomacy and activating mediation efforts as a basis for security, stability and peace and the resolution of international and regional conflicts.
The biggest indication of the depth of the Qatar-Turkey ties is that since 2014, H H the Amir and H E the Turkish President have held 28 summits. The most recent of these meetings was in Dec. 2021, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Doha, and chaired, with his brother, the Amir, the seventh meeting of the Qatari-Turkish Joint High Strategic Committee between the two countries. At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding that included endowments, Islamic affairs, media, communication, culture, disaster, and emergency management, to standardize standards, small and medium enterprises, and investments.
The final communique of the committee meeting was also signed, which indicated that the two parties discussed many aspects of their strong and distinguished relationship, including regional security and cooperation in the areas of defence, health, trade and investment, energy, aviation, tourism, culture, and education. The two sides pledged to further strengthen their bilateral relations in the financial services sector and continue acting in close financial coordination, and the two parties welcomed the signing of the Agreement on the Extension and Amendment of the Turkish Lira - Qatari Rial Currency Exchange Arrangement between the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and the Central Bank of Qatar.
The Committee welcomed, in its final communique, the progress made in mutual investments in the past year, and the fact that Qatari investments in Turkey have reached the equivalent of $33.2bn at the end of 2020, both sides pledged to explore more ways to support the diversification of economic relations and financial coordination between them.
Both sides agreed to increase their cooperation in infrastructure projects in both countries. Qatar appreciated the role of Turkish companies in infrastructure development projects in Qatar in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and development plans within the framework of Qatar Vision 2030.
The State of Qatar has proposed the establishment of a “Turkish Free Economic Zone” in the areas supervised by the Qatar Free Zones Authority. This provides unique opportunities to combine Turkish industrial innovation with the global competitive advantages of the Qatari economy to enable Turkish investors to access additional markets in India, Asia, and Africa.
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.
Turkey is one of Qatar’s most important trading partners, and the volume of trade exchange between the two countries has witnessed a remarkable increase, rising from $340 million in 2010 to $2.24 billion in 2019. The two sides hope to raise and increase it to $5 billion. Turkey is a distinguished investment destination for Qatari investors, as there are many successful Qatari investments there, including real estate, tourism, and others.
The tangible development in the volume of trade between the two countries is mainly due to the close relations and mutual visits, and the existence of many trade and investment agreements signed at the level of the public and private sectors, which facilitated the establishment of mutual investments, and helped increase the flow of goods and merchandise in both directions, especially with the signing of the trade and economic partnership agreement between the two governments in 2018, and the inauguration of shipping lines between them.
More than 711 Turkish companies operate in Qatar, including about 664 companies with Qatari and Turkish capital, 47 companies with 100 percent Turkish capital, 15 Turkish companies in the free zone, in addition to more than 183 Qatari companies operating in Turkey. Qatar also hosts annually the “Expo Turkey in Qatar” with the participation of hundreds of Turkish companies wishing to work in the Qatari market.
The construction sector is one of the areas most focused on by Turkish companies operating in Doha, in addition to the economic, commercial, health, real estate, technological and industrial sectors.
Turkey, which covers a little more than 783 square kilometres and is inhabited by about 85 million people, is a country with great capabilities in many productive fields, especially agriculture, industry, and services.
This opens the door wide to increasing trade exchange between Doha and Ankara and expanding investments to the extent that the two countries are heading for joint investment in third countries and achieving a great deal of integration that is beneficial to all.
The Turkish economy grew 11 percent in 2021, the highest among its peers in the industrial group of twenty (G20) and the third among the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
