19 December 2017•Update: 20 December 2017
By Ali Abo Rezeg
ANKARA
The Qatari embassy in Turkey on Tuesday marked the country’s 139th National Day celebration with the participation of Turkish officials and foreign diplomats.
“This year has been full of challenges and difficulties, but it has been a year of opportunities for the State of Qatar,” Turkey’s Qatar ambassador Salem bin Mubarak al-Shafi said in an opening speech.
Referring to the current Gulf crisis and the countries imposing a siege on Qatar, Shafi added: “There were many obstacles put by some countries which sought to undermine our progress and success, but their desperate attempts totally failed.”
In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain all abruptly severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar.
Regarding Turkish-Qatari relations, he said 2017 witnessed historic bilateral relations since the two countries “proved once again that via close cooperation they were capable of confronting challenges and achieving success.”
“We extend our thanks to both the Turkish government and people for their continued support to Qatar,” he added.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said: “In the name of the Turkish government and people, we congratulate Qatar on celebrating its National Day.”
“Our relationship with Qatar is at its distinct level currently and it is experiencing great acceleration in the field of trade and investment in the both countries,” he added.
Simsek went on to note that through continuous communication between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, relations between the two countries reached a high level in past years.
“We are confident that the Turkish-Qatari relations that were built on a strong foundation, will allow us to continue on the same path with a view to raising them in the future,” he said.
High-profile Turkish officials took part in the event, most notably, Development Minister Lutfi Elvan, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Health Minister Ahmet Demircan, as well as a number of diplomatic representatives.
Qatar’s annual holiday is celebrated on Dec. 18 every year as on the same date in 1878 Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed al-Thani succeeded his father as the emir and led the country towards full unity.
