Turkey-Qatar force command serves stability of Gulf region: Erdoğan

Duvar English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said a joint force command of Ankara and Doha serves stability and peace of not only Qatar but also the Gulf region.

"It [Turkey-Qatar Combined Joint Force Command] serves stability and peace of not only Qatar but also the Gulf region," Erdoğan was quoted as saying by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency during his visit to Turkish troops at Tariq bin Ziyad military post in Doha on Nov. 25.

Dubbing the command as "the symbol of brotherhood, friendship, solidarity and sincerity," Erdoğan said: "We have never left our friends alone in any period of the history against threats and risks, and we never will."

"We [Turkey] attribute great importance to peace, security and stability of the Gulf region where we are connected with deep roots."

Erdoğan also noted that the construction of the new Turkish military post in Qatar has been completed and it will be named after Khalid bin Walid -- a well-known commander in early years of Islam.

Erdoğan’s remarks came after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Erdoğan arrived in Doha earlier in the day to attend the fifth meeting of the Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee.

Following the bilateral meeting between Erdoğan and Al-Thani, an agreement-signing ceremony was held after an inter-delegation working meal. Seven agreements were inked on Nov. 25 between Ankara and Doha.

The Joint Statement of the fifth meeting of Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee was signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

The agreements in the fields of economy, urbanization, trade, industry, technology and standardization, among others, were signed to boost bilateral relations.

Turkish Central Bank Governor Murat Uysal, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank and other Turkish officials were present at the ceremony to ink the agreements along with their Qatari counterparts.

The Turkish delegation also included Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan, Communication Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın and Hakan Fidan, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT).

When Qatar's emir visited Turkey in December 2014, the countries set up a bilateral cooperation and consultation group called the Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee. They also forged agreements on military training, the defense industry and deploying Turkish Armed Forces in Qatari territory.

As a result, Turkish army, navy and special forces personnel have been stationed at a Qatari military base since October 2015. In August of this year, media outlets said that Turkey was soon set to open a new military base near the existing joint command center in Qatar and significantly expand its troop presence in the Gulf emirate.

Ankara and Doha are close regional allies having developed solid ties during testing times, while the countries' leaders enjoy a strong personal relationship.

Economic relations between the two sides have been robust, particularly since the Gulf crisis erupted in 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar and severed diplomatic relations.