Türkiye, Qatar sign 11 cooperation agreements to enhance ties
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani chair the 8th meeting of the Strategic Committee in Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 14, 2022. (AA Photo)


Türkiye and Qatar inked 11 new cooperation deals in the eighth meeting of the Supreme Strategic Committee in Istanbul on Friday.

The agreements cover cooperation in various fields, including diplomacy, media, culture and disaster and emergency management.

The meeting was co-chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The leaders earlier held one-on-one talks on bilateral and regional issues.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani signed the joint statement of the committee following the meeting.

Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and Qatar's Ambassador to Ankara Muhammad bin Nasser Bin Jassem Al Thani signed a cooperation agreement on media and communications, as well as a cooperation protocol between Türkiye's public broadcaster TRT and Qatar TV.

Trade Minister Mehmet Muş and Qatar's Public Health Minister Hannan bint Mohammed Al Quwari inked an agreement between the Halal Accreditation Institution of Türkiye and its corresponding institution in Qatar.

Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani signed a cooperation agreement on patent and copyright, while an agreement between Türkiye's Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) and Qatar's State Communications Institution was inked by Transport Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

An agreement on cooperation between the Yunus Emre Institute and Qatar Museums and diplomatic archiving between the two countries, were also signed by Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Qatari counterpart.

Türkiye and Qatar established the Supreme Strategic Committee in 2014 as a mechanism for high-level dialogue and bilateral cooperation.

Ankara and Doha enjoy strong relations, particularly since the 2017 blockade of the Gulf country by Saudi Arabia and others. The two countries have strengthened military and economic ties in recent years. The sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee was held in 2020 in the Turkish capital Ankara. Ten agreements were signed between the two countries in the presence of the two leaders. Within the framework of the Supreme Strategic Committee meetings, a total of 68 agreements and protocols were signed between the two countries previously.

Turkish-Qatari relations are also witnessing growing and continuous cooperation at various levels, with high coordination on many regional and international 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 offensive. They also cooperated to reopen Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Taliban took over following the government's fall and the withdrawal of U.S. forces.