26 summit in five years between Turkey and Qatar .. Multiple meetings and strategic partnership

Imad Murad-Doha

26 summit in five years between the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, indicating the strength of the partnership between the two countries, after the start of the fifth session of the Supreme Turkish-Qatari Strategic Committee in Doha.

Erdogan arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday noon to head his country's delegation at the meeting of the strategic committee established in 2014.

Erdogan visited the headquarters of the Turkish-Qatari joint forces.

Erdogan said a new military barracks had been set up and that Turkish troops would be called Khalid ibn al-Walid instead of Tariq ibn Ziyad.

The meetings of the Committee are part of the growing partnership and strategic relations between Doha and Ankara, and are of great interest to both parties, especially since there are many goals that the two countries aspire to achieve and accomplish in various sectors, through the signing of a number of agreements in the areas of industrial, cultural and health cooperation and urban planning. And intellectual property.

The strategic committee between the two countries held its first meeting in Doha in December 2015, during four meetings between Doha and Ankara, during which more than 45 agreements were signed in various fields, while the two parties will sign during this session seven new agreements in the areas of industry, urban planning and finance.

Analysts believe that the Turkish-Qatari relations are an integrated model of cooperation and coordination between the partners in various political, economic, cultural and military fields. Economic relations between the two countries have witnessed rapid growth since the imposition of the blockade on Qatar, represented in increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.

the trade exchange
Turkish companies contribute significantly to the projects currently being implemented by Qatar, especially in the field of construction and infrastructure, and the volume of investment of these companies in Qatar is estimated at $ 16 billion, and the number of Turkish companies operating in Qatar with a Qatari and Turkish joint capital 242 companies, while Qatar is one of the most important Investors in Turkey, where their investments amounted to 23 billion dollars.

The volume of trade between the two countries exceeds $ 2 billion, which reflects the keenness of the two countries to increase the volume of trade and cooperation between them in a way that meets their common interests and objectives. Qatari investments focus on various fields, mainly the Turkish banking sector, energy, manufacturing, tourism, real estate and agriculture, in addition to military industrialization. One of the most important facades of the modern Turkish economy.

In the field of tourism, the number of Qatari tourists to Turkey rose to 97 thousand tourists in 2018, compared to 46 thousand at the end of 2017, and is expected to increase the number this year by at least 30%.

The strong relations between the two countries have emerged on several occasions, the most important of which are the efforts exerted by Turkey since the imposition of the blockade on Qatar. Last year, the Emir of Qatar visited Turkey and presented a package of economic projects, investments and deposits of approximately 55 billion Qatari riyals ($ 15 billion).

Coherent alliance
Qatari journalist Jaber Al-Harami said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, that the Qatari-Turkish summit strengthens the alliance between the two countries and establishes more partnerships in various fields in light of the sincere political will that made the two countries a model of cooperation and integration can not be influenced by any external party.

Al-Harami added that the common vision between the two countries on regional and international issues and permanent coordination confirms that this alliance is permanent and can be developed to include all fields, whether economic or political, stressing that Doha and Ankara have the desire to create a strong Islamic community capable of defending the interests of the Islamic Ummah.

Al-Harami pointed out that Malaysia recently announced a new Islamic grouping that includes Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and Qatar, adding that this combination could create a real nucleus towards the Islamic renaissance and start to a new horizon in the Islamic world after the failure of the OIC umbrella to achieve this.