Erdoğan says Qatar’s security equivalent to that of Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that he holds the security and stability of Qatar as important as that of Turkey, shortly after meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha. “We do not hold Qatar's security and stability separate from that of our own country,” Erdoğan said on Dec. 7.

Erdoğan (L) and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (R) attend a signing ceremony of deals in Doha on Dec 7.

Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that Qatar's security and stability was as important as that of Turkey. “We give the necessary support to our Qatari brothers who are contributing to Turkey's growth with a dimension of investment, employment, production and export. We do not hold Qatar's security and stability separate from that of our own country,” Erdoğan said on Dec. 7.

Erdoğan made the remarks as he addressed soldiers at the Qatar-Turkey Joint Force Command in Doha. “In the upcoming period we will expand our cooperation [with Qatar] in every area,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan arrived in Qatar, a key regional ally, on Dec. 6 as Turkey's economy is grappling with a historic currency crash and soaring inflation following a series of interest rate cuts that he had sought despite widespread criticism.

He met with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha where they signed 15 new agreements in a number of fields, including trade, investment, development, culture, youth, sports, diplomacy, health, religious affairs and the media.

Erdoğan also sought to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman there, according to two people familiar with the plan, Reuters reported.

Such a direct meeting appeared unlikely this week, but could come soon, one of the sources said. It would be the first between the two leaders after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed, widely known by the initials MbS, was due to visit Doha on Dec. 8.

There was no immediate response from the Saudi government to a Reuters request for comment.

Qatar, Turkey extend currency swap deal between their central banks

Meanwhile, Qatar and Turkey extended a currency swap deal between their central banks, the two countries said in a joint statement on Dec. 7. 

The statement, carried by the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said Qatar and Turkey "welcomed the signing of the agreement on the extension and amendment of the Turkish lira-Qatari riyal currency exchange arrangement between the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and the Central Bank of Qatar."

Turkey's central bank last year received $10 billion from a currency swap agreement it secured with Qatar in May 2020.