The session included MoUs on strategic development and defence, as well as discussions on regional issues, including the Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian aid.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan co-chaired the 11th session of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee in Doha on Wednesday.
The annual high-level session took place following a meeting at the Amiri Diwan between Sheikh Tamim and Erdogan.
The two leaders discussed enhancing bilateral relations, particularly in defence, trade, investment, energy, and information technology, according to Qatar’s state news agency (QNA).
Sheikh Tamim and Erdogan also discussed key regional developments, with special focus on the situation in the Gaza Strip as well as the entry of aid into the territory and the current ceasefire deal.
Qatar and Türkiye — alongside the United States and Egypt — brokered the deal on October 9 between Hamas and Israel after holding negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Some of the officials who attended the meeting in Doha included Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Türkiye’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan.
The meeting followed a singing ceremony between both countries.
Sheikh Mohammed and Fidan first signed the Joint Statement on the 11th Meeting of the Supreme Strategic Committee between Qatar and Türkiye.
The ceremony also saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding on strategic development planning between the Qatari government and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget under the Turkish presidency.
The Secretary-General of Qatar’s National Planning Council, Abdulaziz Al-Khalifa, Turkish Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Simsek, and Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat, signed the MoU.
Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Faisal Al Thani, and Bolat also signed a joint ministerial statement between the trade ministries of both countries.
Doha and Ankara also signed an MoU on defence cooperation between the two countries.
Qatar and Türkiye share strong defence ties, with the latter establishing a military base in the Gulf state in 2015 with around 3,000 troops. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Türkiye dispatched 250 soldiers and around 3,000 riot police to help secure the significant event.
