Turkish prime minister on first visit to Qatar after assuming office

 In his first visit after assuming premiership, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey Professor Ahmet Davutoglu will pay on Wednesday a visit to the State of Qatar. The visit aims at strengthening the distinguished bilateral relations.

    Davutoglu praised the close and good Qatari-Turkish relationship, while Turkish diplomats said that the two countries enjoy the best relationship that can be established between any two countries in the world, as well as the excellent political relations.

    Davutoglu's two-day visit gains a special importance because it is the first visit of a Turkish official after Ankara assumed the presidency of the current session of the Islamic Summit held recently in Istanbul, what constitutes an important opportunity for this visit to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the Islamic countries and to move forward to achieve the organization's goals, as well as to discuss issues related to its Member States, especially some countries in the African continent which are languishing in poverty.

    The visit is also an opportunity to discuss ways to enhance economic and investment relations between the two countries on the basis of a strong strategic partnership, particularly in the field of defense industries that promote the independence and stability of the two countries.

    The Turkish Prime Minister will meet during the visit with Qatari officials to promote the work of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategy Committee and to follow up the implementation of the agreements that have been signed between the two sides in the meeting which was held in Doha in December at the level of the of the two countries' leaderships during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who witnessed the signing of 17 agreements in various fields.

Turkish Prime Minister Professor Ahmet Davutoglu's visit to Qatar is an opportunity to discuss the possibility of cooperation in the field of renewable energy and doubling the volume of trade exchange between the two countries as well as to increase Turkish investment in Qatar in the light of the two sides' keenness for Turkish companies to have more projects undertaken by Qatar in the framework of the preparations to host the 2022 World Cup and the great urban expansion in the State. 

It is also an opportunity to discuss ways to encourage Qatari investments in Turkey, especially in the industrial sector, health sector, industrial manufacturing, food products, construction materials and services sector. 

In a related development and in the framework of the permanent reinforcement of bilateral relations, HH the Emir and the Turkish President, as well as officials from both countries, exchanged official visits, which were and still crowned with success and resulted in the promoting of closer relations in political, economic, investment, cultural, tourism, energy and other fields. 

In December 2014, Qatar was the first Arab country Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially visited since the beginning of his term, followed by subsequent visits resulted in a joint promotion of the bilateral relations, while HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Turkey at the end of the same year and signed a joint memorandum to form the Supreme Strategy Committee which enables the two countries to establish comprehensive cooperation in the areas of economic, social and political relations. 

Regarding Davutoglu's visit, it can not be separated from the framework of the joint coordination between the two countries on regional issues and political and security consultation in the light of the unified visions between the two countries towards regional and international issues of common concern, including the Syrian crisis and the assistance provided by the Qatari charities to support Turkey's hosting for Syrian refugees. 

Qatari-Turkish relations are characterized by a remarkable convergence of views on various Arab issues, particularly the Palestinian issue, as well as the Syrian crisis. 

The formal relations between the two countries began in 1979 with the opening of two countries' embassies in Doha and Ankara. These relations have grown rapidly, especially in the economic field when in 2001 the two sides sign an agreement to prevent double taxation and another agreements to encourage and protect investments between the two countries. 

In 2008, the first Turkish-Qatari Business Forum was held in the presence of former Turkish President Abdullah Gul. In the same year the two countries signed a MoU to start comprehensive cooperation in various fields. 

In 2013, Erdogan inaugurated the new headquarters of the country's embassy in Doha and announced the establishment of a Turkish cultural center in Qatar. 

Regarding the importance of economic relations, the total trade volume between Turkey and Qatar reached $1,3 billion in the past year. 

The two countries agreed to establish a cooperation council called 'High-level Strategic Cooperation Council' in 2015. They also signed a military agreement which entailed mutual military exchange. 

Ahmet Davutoglu, born in 1959, is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who has been the Prime Minister of Turkey since 28 August 2014 and the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). He previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2014 and as chief advisor to former Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Between 1993 and 1999, Davutoglu worked at Marmara University and became a full professor in 1999. He was the chairman of the Department of International Relations at Beykent University in Istanbul. 

Davutoglu was granted a title of ambassador in 2003 by the joint decision of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.

Source: QNA