Baku, Azerbaijan, June 9
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Deployment of the Turkish military contingent in Qatar is a way to resolve the crisis in the country, Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu, vice chairman of the Turkish Strategic Outlook analytical center, told Trend June 9.
The expert said that even if not Qatar, but some other country was in this situation, Turkey would do the same.
“Deployment of the Turkish military contingent is not limited to Qatar,” Oztarsu said. “Ankara had previously tried to deploy a military contingent in Somalia.”
The expert noted that the main goal of Turkey is to maintain balance in the region.
“The situation Qatar is facing at the moment is a political problem, however, this affects a lot of things, including energy issues,” the expert said.
Given the current state of affairs, Turkey should have cooperated more closely with Iran to monitor the situation in the region.
“A chance appeared for Turkey to correct the mistakes the country has made in its foreign policy since 2010,” the expert said.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE announced about breaking their diplomatic relations with Qatar June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.
Later, the authorities of Libya, Yemen, as well as the Maldives and Mauritius also announced about severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.
A military agreement entered into force between Qatar and Turkey June 9, 2017.
The document was signed on November 10, 2016 in Ankara.
Earlier, a law was passed in Turkey on ratification of an agreement between the two countries on the deployment of a Turkish military contingent in Qatar.
The establishment of a Turkish military base in Qatar is envisaged by the agreement on strengthening bilateral cooperation signed by the two countries in 2014.
Moreover, the Turkish parliament ratified the Protocol on Cooperation in the Field of Education and Training for Gendarmerie between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the State of Qatar.
The protocol was signed on December 2, 2015 in Doha as part of the agreement on cooperation in the sphere of security between the internal ministries of Turkey and Qatar.
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