HH the Emir, Turkish President Sign Agreement to Establish Supreme Strategic Committee

Ankara, December 19 (QNA) - HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyib Erdogan on Friday signed a mutual agreement on the establishment of a supreme strategic committee between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey. According to the agreement, which they signed at the presidential palace in Ankara, the committee will be in charge of cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, commerce, investment, education, culture, science, technology, energy, agriculture and communications. HH the Emir and the Turkish president also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement in defense affairs between the two countries. After that, HH the Emir and the Turkish president made a press statement, in which HH the Emir expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the president for the hospitality, stressing that the Qatari-Turkish ties are strategic, deep and historic and that they saw great progress in the recent years. HH also highlighted the strong economic and investment relations between the two countries and the importance of continuing Turkish investments in Qatar, especially since Turkish companies are international ones and are welcome in Qatar. On the agreement that was signed, HH the Emir said the committee in question will facilitate moving forward with boosting bilateral relations and enhancing them on all fronts. HH the Emir added that talks discussed several issues related to ties between the two countries, noting that points of view are identical and close on foreign issues, particularly those related to the region and its current events. HH said talks tackled the Palestinian issue and the importance of restoring the rights of the Palestinian people, describing the issue as the last colonial one in the current time and that it's unacceptable for the world not to support the Palestinian people. As for Syria, HH said that there have been warnings against the practices of the Syrian regime and that they might lead to negative consequences in the future, besides the killing of children and women, and that dangerous group might emerge and be out of control. HH added that such talk between Qatar and Turkey has unfortunately happened, noting that Turkey and Qatar and all countries that have been active in assisting the Syrian people must continue to support the troubled Syrians. HH added that he would support a political solution if it goes in line with the demands of the Syrian people "but, unfortunately, there is no solution at the moment." Speaking on Iraq, HH warned against the danger of some groups there, which resulted from past practices of government officials, hoping that a national reconciliation will overcome the country's problems. HH the Emir noted that talks touched on the situation in Yemen, which he described as very serious for the region and the whole world, voicing hope that there would be a solution and that all the factions would be committed to the outputs of the national dialogue and implement them. For his part, the Turkish president welcomed HH the Emir and the accompanying delegation, saying that the meeting reviewed bilateral relations, which has reached good milestones in the different arenas. The two sides also discussed the agreements that they signed in order to reach mutual achievements and further boast bilateral ties, stressing that the concluded agreements will open the way for the development of Qatari-Turkish ties. On the foreign policy front, the Turkish president said Turkey took steps towards international issues and Qatar has always backed them as the two countries share joint objectives and identical visions. He also expressed his pleasure and gratitude at Qatari businessmen's interest in investment in Turkey, which, he said, also applies to Turkish businessmen investing in Qatar. Members of the official delegation accompanying HH the Emir attended the signing ceremony. A group of ministers and media personnel attended from the Turkish side. (QNA)