President Erdoğan to pay visit to Qatar in December
A handout picture provided by the Turkish Presidential Press Service shows Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (R) meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Qatari capital Doha on Nov. 25, 2019. (AFP Photo)


President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pay an official visit to Qatar on Dec. 6-7 to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

Turkey and Qatar have been cooperating on numerous regional issues, including the Libyan crisis and Afghanistan. In addition to bilateral trade and diplomatic relations, the two countries played a pivotal role in supporting the legitimate Libyan government and defending Tripoli against putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar's forces in a 14-month long offensive. They also cooperated to reopen the Kabul airport after the Taliban took over following the government's fall and the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Meanwhile, Erdoğan said Monday that he is also planning to pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February, underlining that similar steps made with the UAE will be taken to mend broken relations with Egypt and Israel.

Erdoğan last week hosted Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), as Turkey and the UAE seek to repair their relations and increase economic cooperation. The visit by the crown prince, seen as the de facto leader and the force behind the UAE’s foreign policy posture, was his first official trip to Turkey since 2012, and the highest-level visit by an Emirati official since relations hit a low as the countries have battled for regional influence and backed opposing sides in conflicts.