Fikret Ozer, Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar
Doha: The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the State of Qatar, H E Fikret Ozer, underlined that the bilateral relations between Turkey and Qatar achieved tremendous progress in recent years in all areas of cooperation, on the basis of the strategic partnership.
In statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of Qatar National Day, the Ambassador said that the Turkey-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee, which was established in 2015 as the highest institutional mechanism of cooperation, convened for the fifth time last month under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and H E President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the margin of the meeting, the two countries signed seven agreements, added to the 46 agreements which were signed in the previous meetings.
In this regard, the Ambassador noted that the leaders of both countries emphasized in the last meeting of the Supreme Strategic Committee the Turkish-Qatari strategic partnership which means a lot for both sides.
He noted that one of the areas where the two countries made the fastest progress is economy. The trade volume, which was nearly QR3bn in 2016, increased to reach QR8.3bn by the end of 2018. As of October this year, it reached QR5.8bn.
With a total of over $18bn, Qatar has become the 7th country in which the Turkish contracting sector has undertaken the highest volume of projects. On the other hand, the total value of the Qatari investments in Turkey is nearly $80.1bn, the Turkish Ambassador added.
The Turkish Ambassador added that the humanitarian and cultural relations between the two countries by no means fall behind the political and economic relations. “Our Qatari brothers have been showing growing interest for the Turkish culture and language. Last year almost 100 thousand Qatari citizens visited Turkey. On the other hand, Qatar became the second home for nearly 10 thousand Turkish citizens residing in the country,” HE the Minister said.
The Turkish Ambassador noted that National Days are important means of acknowledging the past and connecting it to the present day. They also serve as valuable guides to the future. “They remind us the sacrifices of our ancestors, unite us under one flag and help us become a real nation. It is only when a nation is united that it can overcome the challenges it faces, no matter how strong these challenges are,” H E the Ambassador said.
“In my capacity as the Turkish Ambassador to Qatar, I would like to celebrate the National Day of the friendly State of Qatar and extend my best wishes to our Qatari brothers and sisters. I believe that this important day will further strengthen the spirit of national pride and solidarity among Qatari nation and thus will be instrumental in building even a more united and prosperous Qatar,” the Ambassador of Turkey stated.
In the political sphere, the Ambassador said that Qatar has immensely raised its regional and international standing and become a leading political actor whose contribution to solution of regional and global challenges is highly sought and valued for.
