Turkey says not asking Qatar for money to help contain lira plunge

ANKARA - Turkey is not asking Qatar to send any money to help contain a meltdown in the lira currency, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference in Doha, adding discussions ahead of President Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Doha focused solely on improving ties.

"We didn't come to Qatar to ask them to send any specific (amount of) money. We are here only to discuss improving our ties," he told reporters.

The lira shed some 30% over the last month in a selloff driven by aggressive interest rate cuts championed by Erdogan, but that economists and opposition politicians say are reckless in part due to soaring inflation.

Asked whether Erdogan would ask Qatar for economic support during talks in Doha this week, Cavusoglu said Turkey had taken measures to limit the exchange-rate volatility. The two countries would sign a range of agreements in sectors like health and education while boosting military cooperation, he added.

The two countries are set to sign dozens of agreements during Erdogan's visit to Qatar as the Gulf state keeps a close eye on the economic situation in Turkey, the Qatari foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told reporters Qatar was looking at opportunities emerging from Turkey's economic challenges.