Qatar's deputy premier and energy minister Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah has signed an agreement with his Turkish counterpart Taner Yaldiz to establish a joint energy working group to increase cooperation between the two countries.

Under the terms of the new agreement, the two countries will look to share expertise through training and development programmes and assess mutually beneficial exploration and production opportunities.

There is also scope for Qatar to begin shipping liquefied natural gas to Turkey through a deal between Qatargas and BOTAS Pipeline Petroleum, Mr Al-Attiyah confirmed during a press conference.

He added: "Turkey's geo-strategic role as a major energy transit route places them in an ideal position to create a bridge between Qatar's huge energy reserves and the energy-consuming countries of Europe."

Earlier this year, Qatargas also announced that it will provide training support for nationals enrolled in Qatar Shell GTL's Technical Preparation Programme at its plant facilities and training centre in Ras Laffan Industrial City.

Getenergy event for GCC countries November 2009