Türkiye and Qatar discussed bolstering their cooperation on military and security at the fifth summit of their Supreme Strategic Committee in the Qatari capital Doha Wednesday.
The meeting was co-chaired by Türkiye’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler and Qatar’s Chief of Staff Salem bin Hamad bin Mohammed bin Aqeel Al Nabit with the participation of high-ranking military officials from both nations, read the statement from the Qatari Defense Ministry.
The ministry declined to release further information about the meeting.
Following the meeting, Güler visited the Turkish Embassy in Doha and the Qatari-Turkish Joint Forces Command.
Türkiye and Qatar established the Supreme Strategic Committee in 2014 as a mechanism for high-level dialogue and bilateral cooperation, paving the way for significant improvement in defense and military collaboration.
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 Ankara. Both countries signed 10 agreements 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.
As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the foundation of the committee inked on Dec. 19, 2014, the two nations teamed up in military training and defense industry operations, which saw the facilitation of a military base for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in Qatar as the two armies conducted a series of joint military drills.
The Qatari-Turkish Joint Forces Command Headquarters, named Khalid ibn Al Walid Military Camp, was inaugurated on Dec. 14, 2019, by the defense ministers and chiefs of the general staff from both nations.
Most recently in October 2022, Doha and Ankara inked 11 more cooperation deals, including diplomacy, media, culture and disaster and emergency management at the eighth meeting of the committee in Istanbul.
As part of their bilateral pact, Ankara deployed over 3,000 police officers and security personnel to provide security along with their Qatari counterparts for the FIFA World Cup 2022 that took place over four weeks in Doha. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan too was in Qatar for both the opening game and the finale of the event.
