Turkey's President Erdogan arrives in Qatar after Saudi visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday from Saudi Arabia as part of a three-day trip to the Gulf focused on investment and trade opportunities.

In Doha, Erdogan is due to meet with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad.

A source in the Turkish Investment Office in Qatar told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the Turkish-Qatari Business Council would meet on Tuesday, with 200 businessmen who accompanied Erdogan on his trip attending in order to discuss investment and business cooperation.

The Turkish ambassador to Doha, Mustafa Goksu, said that preparations for the ninth Higher Strategic Committee would be discussed during Erdogan’s visit. Trade agreements are due to be signed when the committee meets.

Erdogan and Tamim have met frequently since 2014, with Turkey supporting Qatar during the three-year Gulf diplomatic crisis which saw Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE break off diplomatic relations with Doha in 2017 and impose a largely ineffective blockade.

Qatar restored ties with its Gulf neighbours in 2021.

The Turkish-Qatari Higher Strategic Committee has also met every year since 2014 and has produced 80 agreements in a wide range of fields.

Turkey is now one of the most important destinations for Qatari investment. There are 200 Qatari companies operating in Turkey and 700 Turkish companies operating in Qatar.