Dr. Othman Al Yafei
Qatar-Turkiye relations are witnessing a great development as this became clear and evident from the recent meeting between the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his brother, H E President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye, through the signing of a number of cooperation protocols in many fields such as information and communication, quality infrastructure, industrial property rights, disaster and emergency management, humanitarian aid and other areas of joint cooperation between the two countries.
The recent visit came to emphasize the depth of the strong strategic relations between the two countries, which would enhance the political role of the two countries in vital files of common interest at the regional and international levels, where the situation in the volatile regions of the Middle East takes a great deal of discussion and deliberation, specifically in Palestine, Syria and Libya.
The Russian-Ukrainian crisis takes an important aspect in the meeting at the level of leaders and at the level of foreign ministers in the two countries. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani affirmed Qatar’s firm position on this crisis and its refusal to violate the sovereignty of countries, stressing the support of the State of Qatar for all diplomatic efforts to end this war as soon as possible. And it was emphasized that international law is indivisible when it comes to the application of the United Nations Charter with regard to Ukraine and Palestine.
On the economic level between the two countries, the joint trade relations have been developed to high levels. The volume of exchange between the two countries last year was about 1.8 billion US dollars due to the import and export trades, especially in the fields of petrochemicals, aluminium, liquefied gas, plastic products, building supplies, jewelry and furniture. The number of Turkish companies operating in the Qatari market has increased to nearly 800, some of which play a role in the 2022 World Cup projects.
As for the educational level, cooperation is crystallizing at a faster pace through the work of the Turkish School in Qatar and the presence of Turkish students, teachers, and employees in several educational facilities. Several partnership and cooperation protocols have been signed between Qatar University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Lusail University with several universities and educational bodies in Turkiye such as the University of Sabah al-Din, the Turkish Knowledge Endowment, Marmara University, and the Anatolian Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
The cooperation in the educational field frames the strengthening of the academic heritage through the exchange of experiences, especially in the research and literary field, and thus transfers the present knowledge to a broader scientific future that benefits the educational movement and is in the interest of generations in the two countries.
Such fruitful cooperation reflects a constructive vision from both countries’ leadership that will achieve prosperity for the people of the two countries. As highlighted by Dr. Majid bin Muhammad Al-Ansari, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expectations indicate that such strategic relations between Doha and Ankara are subject to greater development to include broader and newer areas of cooperation.
From the perspective of international relations, there is no doubt that such strategic partnership is a unique model of constructive cooperation, as it is characterized by a set of and effective and practical goals that is heading towards a brighter and more stable future for the two countries, the region and the world.
