Turkish defence minister receives Qatari delegation following helicopter crash

Türkiye’s Defence Minister, Yaşar Güler, has received a Qatari delegation in Ankara to discuss the recent helicopter crash involving military personnel from both nations.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Defence, the delegation included Qatar’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Faisal Abdullah Al-Hanzab, Major General Mohammed  Rashid Al-Shahwani, head of Qatar’s International Military Cooperation, and Brigadier General Abdulaziz Saleh Al Sulaiti, Qatar’s military attaché.

The delegation delivered the bodies of Turkish service members who died in the crash of a Qatari Armed Forces helicopter.

During the meeting, both sides expressed condolences for the loss of military personnel. Minister Güler conveyed sympathy to the families of the Qatari servicemen and offered support to the people of Qatar.

In response, the Qatari delegation extended condolences to the Turkish families of Major Sinan Taşteken of the Turkish air defence forces, as well as ASELSAN technicians Süleyman Cemre Kahraman and İsmail Enes Can.

Earlier reports confirmed that the incident claimed the lives of four Qatari military personnel, one Turkish soldier, and two employees of a Turkish company, after the helicopter crashed in Qatari territorial waters.

By Aghakazim Guliyev