Speaking during a visit to the Qatari-Turkish Combined Joint Task Force Command, President Erdoğan said: "Our joint projects in the fields of military, security and defense industry constitute the backbone of our bilateral relations with Qatar. We don’t deem Qatar’s security separate from that of our country."

Delivering a speech during the visit, President Erdoğan said that he and his Qatari Counterpart Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani reaffirmed their shared vision to further strengthen the bilateral relations through a strategic perspective during their talks earlier in the day.

"Qatari-Turkish Combined Joint Task Force Command is the embodiment of friendship and solidarity"

Noting that the agreements Turkey and Qatar signed during the day would consolidate the cooperation between the two countries, President Erdoğan stated: "Our joint projects in the fields of military, security and defense industry constitute the backbone of our bilateral relations with Qatar. We never deem Qatar’s security separate from that of our country."

Describing the Qatari-Turkish Combined Joint Task Force Command as the embodiment of friendship and solidarity, President Erdoğan underscored that Turkish troops’ presence in Qatar is aimed at the modernization of Qatari military entities, the diversification of cooperation in military training, and the improvement of Qatar’s defense capabilities."

Addressing the troops present at the command base, President Erdoğan said: "You are in Qatar to contribute to regional and global peace at a time of rising escalations. You have provided major contributions to Qatar’s armed forces through the training and exercises you have jointly conducted since 2015. Your presence has ensured our Qatari brothers and sisters’ peace and security since the crisis with Gulf countries broke out in 2017. You have won a unique place in the Qatari people’s hearts and minds with your stance and dignity."

"We attach great importance to peace and stability in the gulf region"

Emphasizing the importance Turkey attaches to peace, security and stability in the Gulf region, with which Turkey enjoys deep-rooted ties, President Erdoğan stated that peace in the Gulf region is key to stability in the Middle East.

"Your presence here serves the peace and stability of not only Qatar, our brotherly country, but also that of the entire Gulf region. No one should be concerned by our country’s presence in this region. You are fulfilling a historic duty that will always be remembered with gratitude in the entire Gulf region, particularly in Qatar. I hereby would like to reiterate my wish for the crisis, raging on for the last 2.5 years in the Gulf region, to be resolved as soon as possible," the President added. (ILKHA)