Qatar's ambassador to Ankara, Salem Mubarak Al Shafi, said relations between Qatar and Turkey proved once again that they can successfully overcome common challenges.

While speaking at Qatar's national day reception in Ankara on Tuesday, the ambassador said that 2017 was a challenging year, but it was a year full of opportunities. "Many have tried to put obstacles in our way to prevent us from continuing our progress and success, but they failed in their miserable attempts," Al Shafi said.

The ambassador was referring to the ongoing diplomatic crises Qatar was facing with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that started in June, in which the boycotting countries issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar.

"In Turkey, we thank you, the leadership and the people, for your continued and continued support. We are very proud of what we have accomplished together in the past few years at various levels and look forward to more in the future," he added.Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci , Development Minister Lütfi Elvan and Health Minister Ahmet Demircan also participated in the national day reception. Speaking at the event Deputy Prime Minister Şimşek congratulated Qatar on celebrating its national day, while he emphasized that in the past few years, relations between the two countries had reached a high level. "Our relationship with Qatar is at its distinct level currently and it is experiencing great acceleration in the field of trade and investment in both countries," Şimşek said. Turkey and Qatar have developed strong political, trade, energy and defense ties in recent years. Turkey also has a military base in the natural-gas rich Gulf country, where it also helps train Qatari troops.