Turkey says it's not asking Qatar for money amid currency crash

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that Turkey is not asking Qatar to send any money to help a meltdown in the lira currency. "We are here only to discuss improving our ties," he told reporters.

Monday December 06 2021 02:10 pm

Duvar English - Reuters

Turkey is not asking Qatar to send any money to help a meltdown in the lira currency, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said at a news conference in Doha, adding discussions ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Doha focused solely on improving ties.

"We didn't come to Qatar to ask them to send any specific [amount of] money. We are here only to discuss improving our ties," he told reporters.

The lira shed some 30% over the last month in a selloff driven by aggressive interest rate cuts championed by Erdoğan, but that economists and opposition politicians say are reckless in part due to soaring inflation.

Asked whether Erdoğan would ask Qatar for economic support during talks in Doha this week, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey had taken measures to limit the exchange-rate volatility. The two countries would sign a range of agreements in sectors like health and education while boosting military cooperation, he added.

Speaking at the same press conference, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that Doha and Ankara are set to sign dozens of agreements during Erdoğan's visit.

Al-Thani told reporters Qatar was looking at opportunities emerging from Turkey's economic challenges.