(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated yesterday the new building of his country's embassy in Doha.
He was accompanied by the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani. Several Arab and foreign ambassadors were also present.
In a speech, Erdogan thanked the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for allocation of land for the embassy and expressed pleasure to open it.
He said relations between Turkey and Qatar were witnessing development on various levels such as the exchange of visits and this friendship and brotherhood will be increased through mutual investment between both countries.
"We have a deep-rooted common history stretching back to centuries and we have recognised each other since 1972 and we formally opened the embassies of the two countries in 1979," he said.
Erdogan said Turkey and Qatar have identical views on regional and international issues.
"We do our best with the State of Qatar in order to transform the region into a zone of peace," Erdogan said.
He said he was pleased to see about 35 out of 60 Turkish companies carrying out construction projects worth $35bn and stressed constant cultural and humanitarian contacts between both countries. "We received about 7,600 Qatari tourists in 2011 and this number increased to 14,000 - 85 per cent - in 2012," he said. Erdogan said the doors of the embassy will remain open to Turkish citizens and others.
"Such places are set up to become symbols of peace and our embassy will be at your service with all its capabilities and we will be looking to the future to maintain our unity and solidarity," he added.
The Emir also met Erdogan at the Emiri Diwan and reviewed means of bolstering relations in all fields.
Regional and international issues, with a focus on Syria, were also discussed. Both leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on energy generation cooperation between Qatar Holding and Electric Ortime Company of Turkey.
The Emir hosted a luncheon banquet in honour of Erdogan and his delegation.
Erdogan and his delegation were in Doha on a one-day working visit.
They were welcomed at Doha International Airport by the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar's Ambassador to Turkey Salem Mubarak Al Shafi and Turkish Ambassador to Qatar Ahmet Demirok.
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