Alwaght- Turkey and Qatar have held joint military drills showcasing their strategic alliance amid a growing rift between Doha and Saudi-led Arab regimes.
According to Al-Sharq newspaper published in Doha, the drills were aimed at preparing Qatar's military to defend "vital economic, strategic and infrastructure facilities".
The exercises come after Turkish media reported that joint drills would be taking place August 6-7, with officials saying they would be aimed at "strengthening the defense capabilities of both countries" and "boosting efforts to combat armed groups and maintaining stability in the region."
According to Anadolu agency, Qatari Emiri Navy Commander Rear Admiral Mohammed Nasser al-Mohannadi visited the Turkish frigate ‘TCG Gökova’ last week, which is docked at Hamad Port in Qatar.
Turkish soldiers moved into the country in June, after Ankara fast-tracked legislation to allow hundreds of troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar. The move came after several Arab nations imposed a blockade on Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Ankara has said it will deploy 3,000 ground troops to the base, for joint training exercises and to support anti-terrorism efforts.
Since 5 June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting what they call extremist groups, including Palestinian Hamas resistance movement and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as having close ties with neighboring Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main rival in the West Asia region.
Qatar has defended itself against the accusation saying the groups are not extremist, while insisting on having good ties with Iran.
The Saudi-led block later issued demands that Qatar must meet before ties are restored including curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the al-Jazeera TV channel, closing a Turkish military base in Doha and downgrading its ties with neigboring Iran. Qatar rejected the demands arguing they are illogical and infringe on its sovereignty.
