Turkey and Qatar strengthen relations by signing 15 new agreements
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travelled to Doha on Monday at the invitation of Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The Turkish leader spent two days in the Gulf country, where he took the opportunity to strengthen ties with Doha. During this visit, the seventh meeting of the Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strategic Committee, chaired by the two leaders, took place. The first such meeting took place in 2015, and since then Turkey and Qatar have signed several agreements on various issues, demonstrating the strong bond between the two countries.
Erdogan and Al-Thani have signed a total of 15 agreements in different fields such as tourism, religious affairs, health, defence and education. The Turkish leader expressed his gratitude to Qatar for the support it has offered Turkey on several occasions, such as in 2016 after the failed Turkish military coup d'état, as Qatar was the first Arab country to condemn it.
The economic situation in Turkey is currently critical. The Turkish lira has devalued significantly against other international currencies and inflation has soared by 20 per cent. Erdogan also thanked Doha for its contribution to "investment, employment, production and growth in Turkey". "Qatar has always supported us in the face of speculative attacks on the Turkish economy and has shown its confidence in our country," the president added. However, ahead of the visit, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu assured that they had no intention of asking Doha for financial assistance. "We are not going to Qatar to ask them to send money. We are only going to address the improvement of our relations," he stressed.
Erdogan visited with Al-Thani the joint-use military base outside the Qatari capital, where he said that "the peace and welfare of the entire Persian Gulf region is very important for both Turkey and Qatar". In this sense, he expressed his desire to improve relations with the other countries in the region. "We never want to see tension, conflict or hostility in these lands," he added.
Afghanistan was one of the key issues to be discussed at the meeting. The two sides have decided on the companies that will help run the Hamid Karzai International Airport. These companies "will negotiate with each other and with the Taliban", Erdogan explained. "If appropriate conditions are provided, especially security, these companies will continue the process of operating the airport in Kabul," the president said, according to Turkish media outlet TRT.
Cavusoglu and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, have also discussed the issue of jointly managing the airport. "Qatar and Turkey are continuously working with the interim government in Afghanistan to reach an agreement so that the airport can function," Al-Thani said.
Ankara and Doha intensified their relations after the blockade imposed on Qatar by several countries in 2017. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt accused Qatar of backing groups linked to the Arab Spring protests, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. European reports have repeatedly pointed to Turkey and Qatar as the main investors in this Islamist entity.
In the region, Doha represents Erdogan's main backer. Despite Turkey's rapprochement with Saudi Arabia this year, relations between the two remain complicated.
Ankara and Riyadh have a different position on the Libyan crisis, as while Turkey supports the Government of National Unity (GNU), as does Qatar, Saudi Arabia backs Khalifa Haftar. The Muslim Brotherhood also conditions this relationship. Ankara backs the Islamist organisation, which is on Riyadh's blacklist. Likewise, Erdogan's support for Qatar during the crisis with its neighbours led to a further estrangement from the Saudi regime. However, the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khassoggi in the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul was undoubtedly a turning point in relations between the two. This event led to a serious diplomatic crisis with accusations and trade boycotts.
Erdogan's relations with the United Arab Emirates, a key power in the region, have also been delicate. Following the Abraham Accords with Israel, the Turkish president threatened to cut ties with Abu Dhabi for 'betraying the Palestinian cause'. Also, like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey defend different sides in Libya. Moreover, Abu Dhabi does not approve of Erdogan's support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Unlike Riyadh, however, rapprochement between the two is on the right track. At the end of November, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan visited Ankara for the first time in 10 years with the aim of improving ties with Erdogan. This meeting was particularly beneficial for Turkey, as the Emirates decided to invest $100 billion in the country, something that will undoubtedly help the Turkish government deal with the tough financial crisis.