Amir, Erdogan to chair 8th session of Supreme Committee in Istanbul

 

 

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived Thursday in Istanbul on a work visit to the Republic of Turkey, during which the Amir will head with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the eighth meeting of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee.The eighth session will deal with consolidating the strategic partnership between the two fraternal countries in various fields, exchange views on international and regional issues of common interest, and sign several agreements and memoranda of understanding.The Amir is accompanied by an official delegation. The Qatari and Turkish sides are expected, in the framework of the eighth session of the Supreme Qatari-Turkish Strategic Committee, to hold joint meetings, sign agreements in various fields, and discuss the consolidation and development of strategic cooperation relations and ways to enhance them, especially in the economy, investment, industry, defense, security, endowments, media, culture, and sports fields.The meetings come in light of the advancement of bilateral relations in all fields to a partnership level, thanks to the generous patronage of the Amir and president Erdogan.During the session, it is certain that the two countries will take additional steps to achieve more rapprochement and harmony and deepen the areas of cooperation. Views on regional and international developments will be exchanged, and new agreements will be signed, which will strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields.Qatar's keenness on developing mechanisms of fruitful cooperation, explore new horizons, and develop and expand its strategic cooperation with Turkey is clear in the agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed between them.The Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee was established in 2014. Doha hosted the committee's first session in December 2015. Since its establishment, it has held seven sessions, resulting in the conclusion of nearly 90 agreements in various fields.Thanks to the agreements concluded by the Supreme Strategic Committee, the volume of trade exchange between Qatar and Turkey has grown by more than 100% from 2016 to 2020.According to Planning and Statistics Authority's (PSA) latest data, the total volume of trade exchange during the first seven months of 2022 amounted to QR4.25bn. The total Qatari exports to Turkey amounted to about QR1.5bn while Qatari imports from Turkey during the same period amounted to about QR2.75 bn.In 2021, the total trade exchanges between the two countries amount to an estimated QR 6.9bn. The total Qatari exports to Turkey amounted to about QR 2.8bn, while the total Qatari imports from Turkey amounted to about QR 4.1bn.As for the volume of investment between the two countries, it is explained by the large number of companies operating in Doha and Ankara. Around 711 Turkish companies operate in Qatar, including about 664 companies with Qatari and Turkish capital, and 47 companies with 100% Turkish capital. Additionally, more than 183 Qatari companies operate in Turkey. During the seventh session, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan witnessed the signing of 11 agreements in many fields. The two countries also have a common commitment to continue and strengthen regional and global efforts to bring peace and international security, combat terrorism, and resolve conflicts peacefully.In this aspect, the two countries continue to work jointly to enhance regional and global efforts to establish international peace and security, combat terrorism and resolve conflicts peacefully. They also work together within the Asia Cooperation Dialogue framework and call for cooperation through the State of Qatar's hosting of its third summit, as well as strengthening cooperation, solidarity, and coordination between them in international and regional, organizations including the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).The counter-terrorism issue will not be absent from the session. The two leaders are committed and are in solidarity to combat all forms and manifestations of terrorism and have continued in efforts to enhance coordination and cooperation in combating terrorism in a manner that reflects their common values derived from international law. The two countries cooperate to address threats emanating from terrorist organizations.The Palestinian issue will also be present during this year's meeting, as the two leaders affirmed their absolute support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, with all Palestinian refugees granted the right to return.Consistent with their recognition of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the two sides continue to consider the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, to be illegal and constitute a continuing obstacle to peace. They also concluded that any support for the illegal annexation of the occupied territories by the Israeli entity constitutes a real obstacle for the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights.There is also remarkable growth in mutual investments in the past year. Qatari investments in Turkey amounted to $33.2bn at the end of 2020. During the past few months, the two countries have worked to enhance cooperation in the energy sector, especially in clean energy sources such as liquefied natural gas. The discussion regarding the possibility of developing projects for power plants in Turkey using natural gas or renewable energy based on an independent power production system is expected to continue by signing a long-term agreement with the relevant authorities by the Turkish government to purchase the generated electricity.The two sides look forward to strengthening strategic cooperation in both the humanitarian, relief, and development sectors with the relevant authorities in Turkey, namely, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) as well as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) to implement the sustainable development goals and work in countries of common interest.