Leaders of Turkey and Qatar meet amid growing international isolation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan started, a two-day visit to Qatar, his almost sole ally, amid expectations that Afghanistan and economic support for Turkey’s ailing economy amid political crises in Ankara will be on the agenda of talks between the leaders of the two countries.
- The resolution of Gulf conflict could help Qatar to grow its economy
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Washington criticizes Turkey’s handling of the issue of religious minorities
Turkey under siege
According to the Voice of America, Erdogan’s visit comes at a time when Turkey is facing severe economic pressures and the Turkish president is expected to seek financial support from Qatar, the gas-rich emirate.
According to the newspaper, Turkish and Qatari officials said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-day visit to Qatar aims to further deepen bilateral cooperation.
Erdogan is scheduled to chair a meeting of the Supreme Strategic Committee between Turkey and Qatar on Tuesday with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha, it said, as the two leaders developed a close relationship based on shared interests, according to former Turkish ambassador to Qatar, Mithat Rende.
Security interests versus economic interests
VOA noted that Turkish-Qatari relations are important for both countries, pointing out that Qatar sees the Turks as an opportunity to modernize the Qatari armed forces and train the Qatari armed forces by Turkey, especially as Turkey seeks to convince Doha that it has provided a kind of security umbrella for the Qataris.
The newspaper added: “This, of course, benefited Turkey, because Qatar has invested heavily in Turkey as well, but the massive economic assistance to Turkey has done nothing to prevent the collapse of the Turkish economy, especially since the lira has become worthless and the dollar has become the equivalent of around 15 Turkish lira”.
The US newspaper noted that security relations were strengthened through the construction of a Turkish military base in Qatar. Analysts say: “Such support was vital for Doha to resist Saudi pressure, which was sometimes intense, and in 2017, Riyadh imposed a four-year blockade on Qatar”.
Open bill
VOA stresses that Erdogan’s visit comes at a time of great sensitivity for Turkey, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis; Turkey is facing intense economic pressure, and the Turkish leader is expected to seek financial support from the energy-rich emirate.
“This year, the Turkish currency has lost nearly 50% of its value”, it noted, as international investors have fled because of Erdogan’s illogical economic policies.
Speaking in Doha on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey was not seeking a specific amount of money from Qatar, but rather an improvement in overall economic relations, which means Ankara will demand an open bill from Doha with no fixed number.
As Hussein Bagci, head of the Ankara-based Foreign Policy Institute, says Erdogan is likely looking to Qatar to add its $20 billion investment in Turkey.
He added: Every foreign investment is important for Turkey, noting that Qatar remains an alternative source of international investment for Turkey.
Joint imperial objective
Qatar has remained a close ally of Turkey at a time when Ankara’s relations with its traditional Western allies have deteriorated. The two countries share similar objectives, and the two countries will seek to expand these goals in this visit, as the two countries support radical Islamist political movements in the region, in addition to their cooperation in Syria and Libya to obtain expansions and privileges in these countries, which were destroyed by terrorist militias supported by Qatar and Turkey.
Says foreign policy analyst Bagci: These talks in Qatar will focus on Afghanistan, where the two countries are working to reopen Kabul International Airport, adding that Qatar has the money, and Turkey has the technicians. “Turkey has already sent a large number of technicians to the airport in Afghanistan, and Kabul airport will soon be operating at the international level”.
