Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday his desire to consolidate Ankara’s relations with the Gulf States “without discrimination”, stressing that his country will do everything necessary for this purpose.
Erdogan arrived Monday in Doha on an official visit, leading his country’s delegation to the meeting of the 7th Session of the Supreme Strategic Committee between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey.
Addressing a news conference in Istanbul prior to his departure, the Turkish president said that he would “continue to develop relations with brothers in the Gulf without any discrimination, within the framework of common interests and mutual respect.”
“We welcome the reopening of dialogue and diplomatic efforts to avoid misunderstanding in the Gulf region,” he added.
“Diplomatic talks with the Gulf countries will have an impact on Turkey’s economic well-being,” Erdogan said, adding that he would visit Abu Dhabi in February.
In November, Erdogan welcomed Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Ankara. The visit opened a new page between the two countries and ended with an Emirati announcement of the establishment of a $10 billion investment fund to support the Turkish economy.
Also, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to arrive in Doha on Wednesday, but Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the timing of the two visits was just a coincidence.
In a press conference in Doha on Monday with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Qatari minister expressed his hope for permanent fraternal relations between all brotherly and friendly countries of the State of Qatar, pointing at the same time to Turkish-Saudi efforts to restore bilateral relations, “even though the two countries’ visits to Qatar were not related.”
Prior to the arrival of the Turkish president to Doha, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met his Qatari counterpart, who confirmed that his country and Ankara would sign dozens of agreements during Erdogan’s visit.
