(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The regular holding of Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strategic Committee meetings at the highest level annually is an important indicator of strong bilateral relations, said Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar, H E Mustafa Göksu.
'It also reflects the desire of both countries in expanding and diversifying fields of cooperation, said Mustafa Göksu, adding that the upcoming sixth session of Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strategic Committee to be held in Turkey will witness signing of a number of new agreements between the two countries.
'They are in addition to the already existing 52 agreements signed in the previous meetings. With the new ones, the total number of agreements is expected to exceed 60, Mustafa Göksu said in an interaction with media persons on Monday.
He said that the new agreements cover a range of fields such as economy, culture, trade, education, Islamic and family affairs, and water management. 'The details of the agreements will be released during the committee's meeting.
He added: 'The Supreme Strategic Committee has placed the relations between Qatar and Turkey on an institutional path that guarantees the fortification of previous achievements and broadens its horizons surpassing political success and expanding it to other areas such as economy, commerce, investment, culture and security.
Sharing historical background of meetings, he said that five meetings of Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strategic Committee had been held since 2015 alternating between the two countries (the first was held in Doha in 2015, the second in Trabzon, Turkey in 2016, the third in Doha in 2017, the fourth in Istanbul in 2018 and the fifth in Doha in 2019).
Ambassador Göksu said that during the fifth meeting of the Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strategic Committee, held on November 25, 2019, seven agreements had been signed in the fields of economy, urbanisation, trade, finance and investment, industrial and technological cooperation.
On the ongoing Gulf crisis, the Ambassador said that Turkey has made every effort to lift the unfair blockade imposed on Qatar. 'Upon the outbreak of the crisis, Turkey stood by Qatar and supported the Qatari brothers through the provision of food and resources, such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products via cargo planes. We hope that this crisis of 3 years will be resolved as soon as possible.
He noted that Qatar and Turkey are strategic allies cooperating on many issues at bilateral, regional and international levels.
The Ambassador said that the trade volume between the two countries recorded a growth of about six percent in 2019, reaching approximately $1.6bn.
'Qatari companies are among the largest investors in the field of construction in Turkish markets. 'In return, Turkish companies obtained contracts worth $1.5bn in 2019 to implement projects in the State of Qatar. In the tourism sector, the number of Qatari visitors to Turkey reached about 30,000 Qataris in 2014, and figures grew to about 110,000 Qatari visitors in 2019, reflecting a growth of about 450 percent.
Göksu said, 'Turkey is a safe haven for Qatari investments. Over 170 Qatari companies operate in Turkey and the volume of Qatari investment in Turkey has reached to $22bn.
He added that Qatari investment did not focus on one sector (in Turkey) but focused on all sectors, like commerce, tourism, agriculture, energy, defense industries, real estate or banking.
The Turkish Ambassador stated that there are great opportunities for Turkish investors in Qatar, as Doha in recent years has done an excellent job at encouraging foreign investment, and has introduced many reforms to attract foreign investment.
The Ambassador further said that there is cultural harmony between the peoples of the two countries, pointing to the desire of the citizens and residents of Qatar to learn the Turkish language at the Turkish cultural institute ‘Yunus Emre' in Qatar.
'30% of the total students, which have reached 1650 since the establishment of the center in 2015, are Qatari citizens. In addition to the Turkish School in Qatar, the center contributes to Turkish language training in a number of Qatari institutions, such as Qatar University, the Languages Institute of the Qatari Armed Forces, Qatar National Library and the Qatari Women Association.
Regarding Qatar's preparations for hosting FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, he said, 'Despite the slowdown in global economic and commercial activities due to COVID-19 epidemic, Qatar's preparation for the 2022 World Cup did not stop, thanks to the good management of the Qatari authorities and the determination of our Qatari brothers.
MENAFN25112020000063011010ID1101182645
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.