Turkey Refuses To Close It’s Qatar Military Base After Demands From Saudi Arabia And The UAE
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt supplied a list of 13 demands to Qatar in order to move forward in ending the recent Gulf fallout.
Among these demands were the closure of a new Turkish military base in Qatar.
Turkey has voiced it’s support for Qatar since the fall out
Currently, there are 88 Turkish soldiers stationed in Qatar and, according to Turkish news sources, this number is expected to reach 1,000.
On Thursday, five armoured vehicles and 23 military personnel arrived in Doha from Turkey.
Defense Minister Fikri Isik has said he had not yet seen a request for the closure of the base
“If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties,” he said speaking to local broadcaster NTV.
“The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security,” Isik said. “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”
Turkish exports to Qatar have tripled since the Gulf fallout
Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci reported that “Since June 5 exports to Qatar have amounted to $32.5 million. Of this $12.5 million is food. This figure is three times the normal level”.
This follows a blockade on all routes between Qatar and some of it’s Gulf neighbours such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
Since Qatar’s only land routes are through Saudi Arabia it is now solely relying on sea and air transport for supplies, and Turkey has sent over 100 cargo planes to Qatar with supplies.
