Turkey’s new ambassador to Qatar arrives in Doha

By Ahmed Yusuf

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Turkey’s newly appointed ambassador to Qatar arrived in Doha on Monday to take up his new diplomatic responsibilities.

Fikret Ozer was received at Doha’s Hamad International Airport by a host of Qatari officials and Turkish embassy staff.

Ozer succeeds outgoing Turkish Ambassador to Qatar Ahmet Demirok, who served at the post from October 2013 to February 2017.

Before his latest diplomatic posting, Ozer had served as Turkish consul-general in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Turkey and Qatar officially recognized one another shortly after the latter’s independence from the U.K. in 1971.

In 1979, the two countries established embassies on each other’s territory.

Turkey-Qatar relations in recent years have been characterized by common stances on a host of regional issues, including the 2011 “Arab Spring” uprisings, the subsequent crises in Syria and Libya, and the situation in post-invasion Iraq.

Bilateral ties remain marked by close cooperation in a host of fields and frequent exchanges between officials from both states.