Qatar eager over Turkish energy ties

ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Qatar is eager to work toward strengthening bilateral energy ties with Turkey as trade relations between the two countries improve, officials said.

Qatar and Turkey moved forward with bilateral energy deals, with Turkish President Abdullah Gul saying work should begin on a liquefied natural gas pipeline to his country as soon as possible. His comments followed talks with Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

The energy ministers from both countries will chair a working group to examine the issue, Turkish daily Today's Zaman reports.

The emir said his country is anxious to work with Turkey on storage facilities and refineries, and pipelines in particular.

"We are eager to have a gas pipeline from Qatar to Turkey," he said. "We discussed this matter in the framework of cooperation in the field of energy."

Qatar, which sits on some of the richest natural gas deposits in the world, aims to expand its export market as LNG capacity increases. Turkey, for its part, seeks secure commitments from regional gas partners as it emerges as an energy hub.

Trade between Qatar and Turkey is nearly $1.5 billion.