Qatar Envoy: No Reason to Fear Defense Ties With Turkey

Says Cooperation With Turkish Govt Is 'Very Good'

Qatari Ambassador to Turkey Salem bin Mubarak today dismissed complaints by Saudi Arabia and its allies about the defensive cooperation between Qatar and Turkey, insisting there is no reason to be afraid of what is purely a defensive partnership.

Turkey’s military base in Qatar

Mubarak went on to say that who Qatar’s military partners were is a sovereign decision and that the nations currently blockading Qatar have no reason to say anything about it. Among Saudi Arabia’s recent list of demands was that Qatar expels Turkey from its military base in the country.

Mubarak said that Qatar believes the current situation in the region would make severing cooperation with Turkey “illogical,” and that the ongoing state of that cooperation is “very good.” Turkey has less than 100 troops in Qatar at present, but could quickly get to 1,000.

Qatar’s Defense Minister insisted only yesterday that they have concerns about the Saudis et al trying to impose regime change, and that the nation is ready to “defend itself,” and with these risks apparently a concern among Qatari officials, close ties to Turkey are likely to continue.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.