Qatar–Turkey relations
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The State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey established bilateral relations in 1972.[1] There has been ongoing cooperation and dialogue in regional and international issues since the 2010s, particularly in the Syrian Civil War and the Egyptian Crisis.[2] Both countries also support the same groups in post-Gaddafi Libya.[3] Most recently, Turkey provided diplomatic and food support to Qatar during the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis.[4] Some political analysts claim that bilateral relations are mostly limited to political and military affinity, referring to the low trade volume, lack of trade agreements and absence of Turkish think tanks in Qatar.[5]
Qatar and Turkey maintain strong military ties. Several military cooperation agreements have been signed between the two, and Turkey exports military equipment to Qatar. For instance, Turkey sold Qatar its first-ever drones in March 2012,[6] and in April 2017, Turkish vehicle manufacturer BMC signed a deal to supply Qatar with 1,500 Amazon 4x4 armored vehicles.[7] Turkey has a military base in Qatar,[8] and in June 2017, Turkish parliament fast-tracked the deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar.[9] Turkey plans to eventually station 3,000 troops on Qatari soil.[10]
Trade relations between the two countries have witnessed rapid developments in recent years. Qatar has signed agreements with Turkey to export LNG, while several Turkish construction companies have agreements with the Qatari government, many of which are involved in 2022 FIFA World Cup projects.[11] In September 2017, a new trade line route between Qatar and Turkey via Iran was announced,[citation needed] and at the same time a shipping service between Turkey's Port of Mersin and Qatar's Hamad Port was also launched.[12]