Turkish officials visit Qatar to discuss 'enhancing' economic ties

Top officials from Turkey were in Qatar over the weekend to discuss how to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.

Turkey's Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and other Turkish officials met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at his office in Doha, according to a statement from the Qatari state's Amiri Diwan released on Sunday.

"During the meeting, they reviewed the cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them, especially in the fields of economy and investment," the statement read.

In a tweet, Yilmaz described the meetings as "fruitful".

He said Qatar and Turkey were also looking to deepen cooperation in other fields, especially "in the defence industry and energy fields".

The visit precedes a planned visit to Qatar by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from 17-19 July, as part of a Gulf tour that will include Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Yilmaz and Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek travelled to the UAE last month to discuss financial cooperation, the first visit to a foreign country by ministers from Erdogan's cabinet after his re-election in May.

The visits are reportedly part of a push by Turkey to attract billions of dollars of investment from Gulf states.

Turkey's targeting of Gulf states comes as funding from Western investors has dried up after Ankara's economic decisions sent inflation soaring.

Qatar and Turkey have long had strong ties, with Ankara sending food and other supplies to the Gulf state while it weathered an air, land and sea blockade by neighbouring countries and Egypt that lasted from 2017 to 2021.