Erdoğan praises military partnership with Qatar

ANKARA

The Turkish-Qatari Combined Joint Force Command is the symbol of sincerity, the Turkish president has said.

“Today, we had productive, successful and sincere meetings with our Qatari counterparts. We have reiterated our will to strengthen our bilateral relations with a strategic perspective,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 25 in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The president’s remarks came after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Speaking during a visit to Turkish troops in Qatar, Erdoğan said that the Turkish soldiers in the country have provided security and peace to the people of Qatar during the crisis among the Gulf states.

“Turkish-Qatari Combined Joint Force Command is the symbol of sincerity, friendship and solidarity,” he said.

“Your presence here serves for the stability and peace of the Gulf. No one should be disturbed by your existence in this geography,” Erdoğan said, addressing the Turkish troops.

Erdoğan also said that the construction of new military post in Qatar has been completed. The new military post will be named Khalid bin Walid after famous Muslim commander, he said.

For his part, Al-Thani said in a tweet that the Turkish-Qatari partnership is successfully moving towards its goals.

According to Al-Thani, the two countries also agreed to use the potential of their partnership to serve the interests of their peoples.

Following the bilateral meeting between Erdoğan and Al-Thani, an agreement-signing ceremony was held after an inter-delegation working meal. Seven agreements were inked on Nov. 25 between Ankara and Doha.

The Joint Statement of the fifth meeting of the Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee between Turkey and Qatar was signed by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

The agreements in the fields of economy, urbanization, trade, industry, technology and standardization, among others, were signed to boost bilateral relations.

Turkish Central Bank Governor Murat Uysal, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank and other Turkish officials were present at the ceremony to ink the agreements along with their Qatari counterparts.

The swap agreement between the central banks of Qatar and Turkey was also amended on during Nov. 25's meetings.

The overall limit has been increased to $5 billion from $3 billion, equivalent of Turkish liras and Qatari riyals, Turkey's Central Bank said.

The deal aims to facilitate bilateral trade in local currencies and to support financial stability of the two countries.

The Turkish delegation also included Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan, Communication Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın, and Hakan Fidan, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).