Military cooperation with Qatar top priority, says Turkey minister

Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar affirmed that the security of Qatar is the security of Turkey, adding that the enhancement of military cooperation between the two countries is top on their agenda and that more work will be done in that regard in the coming day.

Speaking to a local Arabic daily, the minister said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives high priority to military cooperation with Qatar. “President Erdogan issued directives to continue consultation with the Qatari side in order to enhance cooperation and enhance ties and agreement.” He noted that there will be a visit to Doha soon to sign more agreements and cooperation protocols signed recently with HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah and members of the Qatari cabinet.“Qatar and Turkey have a great relationship in terms of cooperating in various fields,” he said, stressing that Doha is an important supporter and major partner of Turkey in the defence industries. “Turkey is working on benefiting from further in the future,” he said, adding that Turkey will look to transfer its expertise to Doha, in coordination with the Qatari Ministry of Defence.The Turkish minister of national defence stressed that the two countries have signed many agreements, most recently the military cooperation agreement, which was ratified by the Turkish parliament and entered into force in June 2017. He said that the latter was an important pillar of the military cooperation between the two countries. The minister also said that he will focus on supporting those agreements, adding that he spoke with the deputy prime minister and minister of state for defence affairs in a telephone conversation where they agreed to prepare a visit to Doha very soon. The minister said that both sides will be keen on signing more agreements during the visit.He stressed that both Qatar and Turkey share a common view on a number of issues, in addition to their shared determination in defeating terrorism in the region from its roots. He noted that the two sides have done a lot in that regard in order to maintain security and stability in the region. He also noted that both countries are working hard to enhance their arsenal in order to protect their land, adding that there will be work done in that regard with the minister of state for defence affairs.