Turkish analysts and officials unanimously agreed that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's visit to Turkey is an indication of the depth of relations between the two countries, highlighting the extent of the Qatari people's solidarity with the Turkish people in the devastating earthquake that struck the country a week ago and resulted in thousands of victims.
His Highness the Amir arrived Sunday in Istanbul on a working visit to the Republic of Turkey. During his visit, His Highness discussed with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan the existing strategic relations between the two countries. His Highness the Amir renewed his condolences to the Turkish President on the victims of the recent earthquake, expressing the solidarity of the State of Qatar's leadership, government, and people with the brotherly Turkish people, and continuing to provide all aspects of support to overcome the repercussions of this crisis.
Advisor on Turkish-Gulf relations at the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) Hasan Aynaci valued His Highness the Amir's visit to Turkey, which has been the highest-level visit to the country since the earthquake, stressing that the timely visit carries many meanings.
In a statement to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Turkish-Gulf relations advisor at the IHH confirmed that the Turkish people will not forget Qatar's solidarity and the rapid actions taken by Qatari societies and institutions to deliver relief aid to the Turkish people affected by the tragic earthquake that resulted in thousands of deaths, injures and homelessness.
Aynaci praised the State of Qatar's role in providing urgent assistance to those affected by the earthquake and standing by Turkey as a result of the devastating earthquake. He added that the Qatar Charity and the Qatar Red Crescent have made tremendous efforts to provide aid to those affected, and were at the forefront of institutions that responded to the call for assistance to alleviate the suffering of citizens in the affected areas.
For his part, a former Turkish researcher and parliamentarian, Resul Tosun, said, during an intervention in TRT Arabic TV, that His Highness the Amir's visit to Turkey at this time carries many meanings of solidarity between the two countries.
Tosun added that diplomatic relations in such difficult times underestimate calamities. Turkey has always been at the forefront of providing aid to various afflicted countries.
Burhan Koroglu, a professor of International Relations at the Turkish Ibn Haldun University, thanked the State of Qatar for its support for Turkey in this tragic disaster. Qatar distinguished itself from other countries by its strong support for Turkey since the first day of the disaster, as it announced that it would send 10,000 mobile homes to shelter those affected by the earthquake, he added.
Koroglu said that they have seen visits by officials from various countries, some of which were at the level of foreign ministers. However, His Highness the Amir's visit was at the highest levels, an indication of the extent of Qatar's solidarity with Turkish people in these difficult moments. This type of visit makes the Turkish people feel less alone.
In a related context, a report by the Turkish TRT World TV stated that His Highness the Amir is the first head of state to visit Turkey since the devastating earthquake that affected millions of people in southern Turkey.
The report appreciated the amount of aid provided by the State of Qatar and its financial and in-kind donations to Turkey and Syria since the earthquake occurred. For example, the State of Qatar announced the provision of 10,000 mobile housing units, which is a very important donation given the number of people who lost their homes due to the earthquake, and as a result became homeless in this harsh weather, making it an important Qatari contribution.
The report indicated that His Highness the Amir personally made a generous financial donation to a fundraising campaign inside Qatar, and Qatar Charity sent an aid convoy to Turkey.
