Turkish troops stay in Qatar

Turkey’s President on Sunday rejected a demand by major Arab states to remove Turkish troops from Qatar, saying their sweeping list of ultimatums has threatened the small Gulf country’s sovereignty.

Speaking after Id-ul-Fitr prayers in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the demand “disrespectful” and said Turkey would not seek permission from others when making its defence cooperation agreements. “Demanding that Turkey pull its soldiers is unfortunately also disrespectful toward Turkey,” he said.

Regional security

In a sign of support, the Turkish Parliament swiftly ratified a 2014 military agreement with Qatar earlier this month, allowing the deployment of troops to its base there. The military said a contingent of 23 soldiers reached Doha on Thursday. Turkey has also shipped supplies and food via cargo planes after Mr. Erdogan said he made a similar offer to Saudi Arabia to set up a base there in the past but did not hear back from the king.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement on Sunday reiterated that the deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar contributed to regional security and was not aimed at a specific country.

“Just like the presence of other foreign military bases or units in other countries of the region, our military presence in Qatar is principally based on a decision taken by the two countries relying on their sovereign rights,” Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said.

Doha received a 13-point list from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain that included demands to shut down the media network Al-Jazeera and cut ties with Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood. The energy-rich country said it was reviewing the ultimatum but added it would not negotiate under siege.