Turkish First Deputy Prime Minister Omer Faruk Korkmaz has praised HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s support for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his stand against the failed coup attempt, which he said proved the distinct relations between the two countries and the two peoples.
In an interview with Qatari daily Al Sharq published yesterday, Korkmaz highlighted the developing relations between Qatar and Turkey at all levels, especially after the failed coup attempt, affirming that bilateral relations will grow further in the coming period .
He called on Qatar to invest in the field of education in Turkey, emphasising that this would fill a major gap after the Turkish government closed all schools of the “parallel entity”. He also expressed surprise at the existence of many European universities in Turkey, but no Arab university.
About the results of the investigation into the failed coup attempt, Korkmaz said that so far the official investigations have not indicated that there are any states involved in the failed coup attempt, but said that there are doubts about the involvement of some countries.
On the readiness of the “parallel entity’’ to carry out the failed operation, he explained that the entity claim that they stay away from politics and that they are a far cry from plots and intrigues and they are loyal to the state and the Turkish people. They also claim that their leader Fethullah Gulen does not aim to hold political positions, but he only aims to serve his followers and supporters, Korkmaz added.
He pointed out that if the putschists have any demands and objections to the performance of the president and the government, they must declared that democratically and not by warplanes and tanks, stressing that the United States has been asked to hand over Gulen to Turkey.
About the existence of a relationship between Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK),  Omer Faruk Korkmaz said that it is normal that the two sides co-operate with each other to overthrow the Turkish state, and what “concerns us is that both organisations carry out terrorist operations against Turkey and its people.”
On the other hand, Korkmaz indicated that Turkish president’s recent visit to Russia was positive, expressing his belief that there is a desire to restore normal relations after Russia understood what was being plotted to spoil the relations between the two countries.
He added that the Russian president was in permanent contact with Turkish president during the failed coup attempt, which confirms Russia’s standing with the Turkish state and its understanding that the “parallel entity’’ seeks to strain relations between the two countries.
He also emphasised that the coming days will witness co-operation in all internal and external files at the highest possible level.
On Syria, Korkmaz said Turkish and Russian presidents discussed the issue, especially since there are two different points of view, stressing that Turkey will not give up its stance towards the Syrian issue and his country’s position is clear since the outbreak of the revolution which is with the desire of Syrian people to obtain freedom and dignity and to have a democratic government, noting that this will be achieved only with a new transition stage without Bashar al-Assad.
Korkmaz stressed that the committee formed between the two countries is an evidence that both sides agree on the need to resolve the crisis.