Many pacts 'to be signed' at Qatar-Turkey high-level committee meeting Monday

The 5th session of the Qatar-Turkey Higher Strategic Committee, under the co-chairmanship of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be held Monday in Doha, marking the distinguished relations between the two countries.

As a part of the growing partnership and strategic relations between Doha and Ankara, the committee's meetings are of great interest to both parties, especially as there are many goals that the two countries aspire to achieve and accomplish in various sectors.It is expected that the Amir and the Turkish president will witness the signing of a number of co-operation agreements between the two countries in industrial, cultural and health sectors, as well as civil planning and intellectual property.The committee was established in December 2014. The committee's first session, held in Doha in December 2015, expanded the horizons of bilateral relations to fields such as trade, investment, culture and security.During the four meetings of the Higher Strategic Committee held so far more than 45 agreements have been signed in various fields. That number is expected to increase to 55 with the fifth meeting.The two leaders' summit in Doha Monday is the 26th between President Erdogan and the Amir in five years.According to the Turkish Anadolu news agency, Doha-Ankara relations are developing and diversifying at all levels and this provides a model for regional relations.Economic relations between the two countries have witnessed rapid growth since the imposition of the unjust blockade on Qatar.On many occasions, the two countries have shown that their friendship is true and solid. This was reflected in the stand taken by each other in the difficult days, in particular, Turkey's efforts to lift the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar, as well as Doha's strong support for Ankara during the failed coup attempt in 2016. During the crisis of the Turkish lira last year, the Amir paid a visit to Turkey and directed to provide a package of economic projects, investments and deposits totalling about QR55bn in support of the Turkish economy.On November 1, the Qatari-Turkish Business Forum was opened in Ankara to boost the economic and trade partnership.In addition to economic co-operation, an annual edition of the Expo Turkey is held in Doha as part of the two countries' efforts to strengthen co-operation and establish joint investments.Turkish companies contribute significantly to Qatar's development, especially in the field of construction and infrastructure, as the volume of investment of these companies in Qatar is estimated at $16bn. The number of Turkish companies operating in Qatar with Qatari and Turkish joint capital, has reached 242, while the number of companies with pure Turkish capital is about 26.Qatar is one of the most important investors in Turkey, where its investments amounted to $23bn. The volume of trade between the two countries has exceeded $2bn. Qatari investments focus notably on the Turkish banking sector, energy, manufacturing, tourism, real estate and agriculture, in addition to military industrialisation.The number of Qatari tourists to Turkey rose to 970,000 in 2018 and is expected to increase this year by at least 30%.Qatari-Turkish relations are old and based on fraternity, understanding and mutual respect.