Ankara, 19th December, HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Turkey salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi held a reception on the occasion of Qatar National Day.

The function was attended by about a thousand people lead by HE Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, along with Their Excellences the Ministers of Economy Nihat Zeybekci, Development Lutfi Elvan and Health Ahmed Demircan. Senior parliamentary and government officials also attended the ceremony along with representatives of diplomatic missions businessmen, media men and scores of Turkish citizens.

Speaking at the ceremony, HE the Ambassador of Qatar said that 2017 was a challenging year, but it was also a year full of opportunities for the State of Qatar. He Pointed out that many parties tried to put obstruct Qatar's progress and success, but they failed in their desperate attempts, especially the siege countries, which did not respect any customs or values or neighborliness.

He also pointed out that the Qatari-Turkish relations "proved once again that they are able to successfully overcome common challenges."

HE the Ambassador thanked the leadership and people of Turkey for the continuous support, praising the Qatari-Turkish relations.

For his part, HE Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Mehmet Simsek, congratulated the State of Qatar on celebrating the National Day, pointing out that Turkey will seek to "continue good relations with the friendly and brotherly State of Qatar". He added that Turkey's relationship with Qatar is at a distinct level, and that there is a great acceleration in the field of trade and mutual investment. "Turkish-Qatari relations, are built on a strong ground that will allow further taking relations and trade to a higher level," he added.

"The year 2017 was very difficult, but in cooperation with Qatar, we thwarted the destructive plots , and at the same time we worked this year to establish peace throughout the region," he said stressing that through continuous communication between the leaders of the two countries, relations between the two sides reached the highest level during the past years.

The celebration of Qatar National Day is the largest in Turkey, in terms of the level of participation and official representation, among Arab and foreign embassies. The ceremony was widely heard in the Turkish press, which covered the event intensively.