Qatar hails strategic relations with Turkey

By Ahmed Yousef

DOHA (AA) – Qatari Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has hailed his country’s strategic relations with Turkey.

"Strategic relations between Qatar and Turkey are growing day by day, particularly in the fields of economic, investment, commercial, energy and defense cooperation to serve the common interests of our nations,” bin Abdulrahman said on Twitter on Friday.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Qatar for talks with emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Erdogan was accompanied by Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, along with Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Turkey's intelligence organization chief Hakan Fidan.

Qatar's Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah al-Khater, for her part, said Erdogan’s visit “came to confirm the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries".

Speaking to Al Jazeera television, al-Khater said there is a broad consensus between Doha and Ankara.

“Both countries support the Libyan Government of National Accord and support the political solution in Libya based on Skhirat Agreement,” al-Khater said.

The internationally recognized government has been under attack by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

The Libyan army recently inflicted heavy blows to Haftar and liberated Tripoli and Tarhuna, in addition to other strategic locations, including Al-Watiya airbase, from his militia.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara