- This is Erdogan’s first visit to an Arab nation since Turkey’s incursion into Syria
DOHA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Qatar Monday on his first official trip to an Arab country since Ankara's forces intervened in northeast Syria last month against Kurdish fighters.
Erdogan will attend the fifth meeting of the Qatar-Turkey Higher Strategic Committee at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Qatar News Agency reported.
The two countries are expected to sign a number of deals during Erdogan's third visit to Qatar since a regional boycott began in June 2017, which led to rising Turkish influence in Doha.
Erdogan is also expected to visit a Turkish military base where around 5,000 troops are stationed amid reports that Qatar intends to buy 100 Turkish tanks.
Doha declared its support for Ankara after it launched an offensive on Oct. 9 against a Syrian Kurdish militia, but Arab countries have condemned Turkey's "aggression".
Qatar and Turkey have similar policies over Islamist groups, primarily the Muslim Brotherhood.