Ambassador of Türkiye to Qatar H E Dr. Mustafa Göksu
Doha: Ambassador of Türkiye to Qatar H E Dr. Mustafa Göksu has said that 8th meeting of the Supreme Strategic Committee between Türkiye and Qatar is expected on October 14, 2022, in Istanbul.
He said that the meeting carries great importance in light of the development of Turkish-Qatari relations, since the start of the implementation of this effective mechanism in 2014, to enrich cooperation between Türkiye and Qatar.
“We are counting a lot on the 8th meeting of Turkish-Qatari Joint Supreme Strategic Committee to be held in Istanbul with the participation of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and President of Türkiye H E Recep Tayyip Erdogan”, said the Ambassador.
He hoped that the important meeting will push the strategic relations between the two countries to the widest horizons, and the meeting is expected to make significant contributions to the diversification and deepening of relations.
Göksu revealed that President Erdogan and Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will hold a bilateral summit before the meetings of the committee in Istanbul, on October 14. He added that the Amir’s upcoming visit will contribute to strengthening these brotherly relations and moving them forward, as it is being held at a very sensitive time regionally and internationally, against the background of the conflict in Ukraine and the repercussions of the global energy crisis, “and therefore it will be a very important visit to coordinate Turkish and Qatari positions in many files, especially since Qatar and Türkiye attach great importance to the peace and security of the entire Gulf region”.
The Ambassador pointed out that since the establishment of the Committee, seven meetings have been held in which 83 agreements, protocols, memorandums of understanding and joint statements have been signed, which contributed to taking the relationship to new and amazing levels.
Ambassador Göksu revealed that it is expected that about 10 new agreements will be signed in various fields including defence, culture, media, joint exercises and others, and this will strengthen the broad partnership between Türkiye and Qatar.
Göksu said President Erdogan intends to attend the opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup Qatar on November 20. “On the instructions of President Erdogan, we fully support Qatar in every area it needs to successfully finalise the event. We appreciate our cooperation in such a mega event, and we are ready to do our best to contribute further to Qatar’s efforts to make this tournament a success. As a clear demonstration of our strong support, more than 2,000 Turkish police will serve in Qatar to secure the tournament, under FIFA World Cup cooperation protocol.”
Regarding economic relations, Ambassador Göksu expressed his happiness with the current momentum in economic relations, which is reflected in the significant increase in the volume of bilateral trade between Türkiye and Qatar last year.
He explained: “According to the figures for the first eight months of 2022, the volume of our trade with Qatar exceeded $1.4bn. Our exports to Qatar exceeded one billion dollars, and thus increased by 60% compared to the first eight months of 2021, which made Turkey the seventh country from which Qatar imports the most.”
The Ambassador pointed out that exports exceeded one billion dollars in the first eight months of 2022, saying "our exports increased by more than 200% in the past five years.” Regarding companies, he said, “We have more than 700 Turkish companies operating in Qatar in various sectors, especially the construction sector. There are 200 Qatari companies operating in a wide range of sectors in Türkiye.”
