Alwaght- Turkey has announced it will continue to build up its military presence in Qatar despite the demands by Saudi-led regimes that Doha cease such cooperation.
“Turkey’s steady buildup continues there, protecting the border and the security of the Qatari government,” adviser Ilnur Cevik said on Monday. Hurriyet newspaper also reported that Turkey has deployed dozens of commandos and some artillery units in Qatar.
At the onset of the Persian Gulf crisis, Turkey rushed through two security agreements with Doha that were signed in December 2015 and April 2016.
"This defense cooperation between Doha and Ankara is part of their common defense vision to support anti-terrorism efforts and maintain security and stability in the region," a statement by Qatar's Armed Forces said.
Qatar and Turkey are expected to hold a joint military drill this month after the arrival of a 25-member Turkish artillery unit, Hurriyet said.
Ankara has backed Qatar after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, cut all economic and diplomatic ties early last month, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, a charge it denies.
The Saudi-led regimes late issued a list of demands to end a major Gulf crisis, insisting that Qatar shut down the Al Jazeera network, close a Turkish military base and scale down ties with Iran.
In the 13-point list, the countries also demand that Qatar sever all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups. Qatar rejected the demands saying they infringe on its sovereignty.
So far, all efforts by the international community to resolve the crisis have produced little, if any tangible results. In the latest bid to end the stalemate, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced that she will travel to Kuwait Sunday.
