Qatar and Turkey showcase their strong bilateral relations with yet another collaboration, this time in the education sector.

Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al-Thani was awarded the ‘Al-Fateh’ key by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday during the opening ceremony of the Ibn Haldun University (IHU) in Istanbul. The award was granted in recognition of Qatar’s support for education across the region as well as the world over.

Sheikh Thani was attending the opening ceremony as an envoy to Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. 

The event also saw the signing of yet another agreement between the two countries, where Qatar University and Ibn Haldun University will be collaborating to grant joint doctorate degrees in many academic programmes offered by the two universities.

Also on Tuesday, Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) announced its five-year collaboration with Istanbul University. The collaboration entails collaborative research projects and studies between the two institutions as well as joint contributions to academic and scientific publications.

“The agreement between HBKU and Istanbul University would be a major step in increasing the prosperity of our people. We have not only advanced cooperation across the full spectrum of our bilateral relationship, but also deepened our engagement in the pursuit of science and technology, innovation and higher education to empower our countries in addressing global challenges,” said Dr. Mahmut AK, Rector of Istanbul University.

Read also: Turkey-Qatar trade sees dramatic ten year increase

Qatar and Turkey have been allies since 1972, but relations have grown closer since the Gulf crisis was triggered in 2017 after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an illegal blockade.

Doha-Ankara trade relations have also been exhibiting clear economic growth. In the immediate aftermath of the blockade, Turkey’s exports to Qatar tripled in value within days.

Turkey has also become a “safe haven” for investments from Qatari business people, inviting ventures worth $3bn between 2000 and 2019.

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