● Turkey’s Military presence in Qatar
The political and military friendship between Qatar and Turkey dates back more than a century
when Ottoman troops set foot on Qatari lands to protect them from the fierce claws of British
colonization. At the time, Qatar was a district under the Ottoman governorship of Najd, which
itself fell under the Ottoman province of Basra. Elsewhere in the Gulf, Britain had established
special relationships with the rulers of Kuwait and other emirates, drawing them into its sphere
of influence and eventually opening the path to British control. That year, the Ottomans sent
troops to Qatar to suppress local ruler Jassim bin Mohammed al-Thani's opposition to Istanbul's
proposed administrative reforms. After the Ottoman forces were defeated, Qatar became an
autonomous district in the empire, but also agreed to host Ottoman troops. Accordingly, the
Ottoman military stayed in Qatar until the empire's collapse in World War I. Notably, Qatar's
autonomous status under the Ottomans also prevented its absorption into the expanding Saudi
state between 1899 and 1926.
Therefore, a military agreement between Qatar and Turkey is only necessary for both states,
since they share many regional interests. Turkey and Qatar have been supporting similar
extremist and even terrorist groups used extensively in the fight against the Syrian government.
Both states have also been deeply involved in the political struggle for influence in Egypt, by
sponsoring the Muslim Brotherhood organization and former President Mohamed Morsi, along
with promoting Wahhabi ideas not only in North Africa and the Middle East, but also in Central
Asia.
In December 19, 2014, Turkish and Qatari authorities signed a deal for the deployment of the
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to Qatar. The first batch of Turkish troops arrived in the capital
city of Doha on Oct. 4, 2015 and the Turkish flag was hoisted at the military base four days later.
The base has a capacity to accommodate up to 5,000 troops. Furthermore, Turkey plans to
gradually increase the number of its forces in Qatar to 3,000, according to the agreement
between them, and keep a brigade in the Gulf country.
Turkey’s military base in Qatar, was established in April 2016 in accordance with the December
2014 defence agreement between the two countries. Its aim was to bolster security and stability
in the Gulf and, at that time, was welcomed by Saudi Arabia as a move to counter the growing
regional influence of Iran and the US ignoring Arab Gulf countries’ concerns over the Iranian
nuclear deal. Turkish forces would primarily be in Qatar to assist and train Qatari forces, though
they would also use the base to launch their own military operations. In theory, the Turkish
military could also defend the Qatari government against internal or external threats. A
deployment of 3,000 Turkish troops, along with fighter aircraft and warships, could prove a
considerable boost to Qatar's active military, which numbers about 11,800.
However, in 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar after
accusing the country of funding terrorist groups and protecting terrorists in the state and
questioning its ties with Iran. The Emir of Kuwait acts as the mediator between Qatar and other
Gulf nations. After the Saudi-led blockade occurred, Turkey ratified two agreements two days
after, which would allow Turkish military - including naval and air force, to be deployed in
Qatar in order to maintain stability and enhance defence capabilities. Turkish exports to Qatar
increased by 90% four months after the blockade.
In response, the four Arab countries have criticized Turkey for meddling in Arab affairs. Saudi
Arabia has been cold to Ankara and not only refused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s offer to
mediate the crisis but also rejected the Turkish offer to build a military base in the Kingdom as
well. The UAE and Egypt were more critical in the Turkish moves. In a series of social media
posts, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, criticized Turkey for coming
to Qatar’s rescue. While Egypt urged the four Arab countries to expand the boycott of Qatar to
include Turkey.
In early 2018, the Turkish National Security Council finalised a plan to deploy 60,000 armed
soldiers to Qatar in accordance to a 2022 defence plan. This could be seen as a risk of US
influence to Doha, which had started to weaken after the rift in 2017. American military experts
believe that the US could have already begun to abandon Qatar, close its Air Force base, and
started thinking of moving to other countries in the Middle East region: Jordan, Oman or the
UAE, at first glance. Once Washington started to abandon Doha, this has could be seen as an
opportunity for Turkey to restore its military presence in the region. The real justification is to
protect Qatar from any external threats and to secure economic and investment interests for
Turkish companies. Turkey is deeply involved in the provision of defense support to Qatar. This
reinforces Qatar’s strategy to maintain a regional balance with its Gulf neighbours. Qatar should
therefore strengthen its relations with Turkey providing it with strong defense shelter. Also,
Turkey's presence in Qatar gives Ankara another means of challenging Saudi efforts to dominate
the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has a positive relationship with Turkey, but Riyadh sees Turkey's
military presence in Qatar as an irritant and a challenge to its authority.
● Qatar’s Intended Purchase of S-400 Surface-to-Air Missiles from Russia
Qatar is engaged in deepening its diplomatic relations with the its neighboring Gulf countries[1]
and also finding new diplomatic partners[2]. By June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced their diplomatic break from the State of Qatar due to
“alleged” support of terrorism. These countries severed air, sea and land links and ordered Qatari
officials and nationals stationed in their countries to return home.[3]
Qatar has shown interest in developing their national security by purchasing AK rifles, grenade
launchers and anti-tank missiles and negotiating at the advance stage of the buying of the S-400
missiles from Russia[4]. Furthermore, the news of the Missile’s intended purchase sparked the
attention of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As stated in Aljazeera.com,
"It is clear that Riyadh plays a dominant role in the region, but Qatar gets an advantage by
enhancing its armed forces due to the acquisition of Russian S-400 systems. Therefore, Saudi
Arabia's tension is understandable."[5]
According to the French newspaper “Le Monde”, that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s letter
sought intervention from France so that the transaction would not happen.[6] However, if the
transaction would continue,
“the [Saudi] kingdom would be ready to take all necessary measures to eliminate this defense
system, including military action,” said by King Salman of Saudi Arabia in the letter to French
President Emmanuel Macron[7]
Russia’s Response
Prior to the negotiations, Qatar and Russia signed an agreement on military and technical
cooperation between the two states on October of the previous year (2016)[8]. Although, France
has no immediate action to Saudi Arabia’s request. Russia defended that that would still continue
to the transaction if it happened. According to Aleksei Kondratyev, a member of the Russian
upper house and the deputy chairman of the committee on Defence and Security, that:
"Russia seeks its own interest, supplying S-400 to Qatar and earning money for the state budget.
Saudi Arabia's position has nothing to do with it, Russia's plans will not change,"[9]
Also it is also worth mentioning that Russia has supplied different Middle East countries
including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[10] So, Qatar or Saudi Arabia or any country that has
diplomatic military ties with Russia, it will pursue what is in-line with their national interest.
● NATO declines Qatar’s membership
A year after the 2017 rift and the isolation of Qatar with its former regional allies, Defence
Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah said Qatar wanted to become a full member of NATO.
However, on 06 June 2018, NATO declined an overture by Qatar to join the Western military
defense alliance, stating that membership is only reserved for European countries and by
invitation voted unanimously within the states. The decision has been based on Article 10 of the
Washington Treaty.1 NATO also added that Qatar is a valuable and longstanding partner of
NATO but a membership coming from the Middle Eastern region is not possible at the time
being. Qatar is currently a member of NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, which was
launched in 2004 to supposedly promote political dialogue and cooperation between the
organisation and the Gulf countries. But it has been at odds with two of the three other ICI
members over the last year under a regional rift, with Bahrain and the UAE joined Saudi Arabia
and Egypt in severing diplomatic, trade and transport links with Qatar. Kuwait is the only Gulf
member of the ICI not to take sides in the dispute.
1
Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty
Washington D.C. - 4 April 1949 (https://www.nato.int/cps/ie/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm)
Sources:
Al-Makahleh, S. (2018, March 18). Is Turkey preparing to replace US military base in Qatar? Retrieved from
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2018/03/18/Turkey-cements-economic-ties-with-milit
ary-base-in-Qatar.html
Bora, B. (2017, June 11). Analysis: Why is Turkey deploying troops to Qatar? Retrieved from
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/analysis-turkey-deploying-troops-qatar-1706071749113
72.html
NATO declines full membership to Qatar. (2018, June 06). Middle East Monitor. Retrieved from
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180606-nato-declines-full-membership-to-qatar/
NATO rejects Qatar membership ambition. (2018, June 06). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved from
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/nato-rejects-qatar-membership-ambition-10398468
Paksoy, Y. (2018, June 12). Turkish Military in Qatar: Bonds of mutual trust. Retrieved from
https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2018/06/13/turkish-military-in-qatar-bonds-of-mutual-trust
Quaram, M. (2017, September 26). The Turkish Military Base in Doha: A Step towards Gaining "Strategic
Depth" in the Middle East? Retrieved from
https://idsa.in/idsacomments/the-turkish-military-base-in-doha_mmquamar_260917
[1]
https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1FE0HR
[2]
https://thearabweekly.com/qatars-proposed-purchase-russian-missile-system-threatens-regional-game-change
[3]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/06/the-persian-gulf-crisis-over-qatar-explained/?n
oredirect=on&utm_term=.7b6d77cddd8e
[4]
https://www.rt.com/news/433932-qatar-arms-s400-russia/
[5]
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/russia-supply-400-system-qatar-saudi-position-180602195629315.html
[6]
Ibid.
[7]
Ibid.
[8]
Ibid.
[9]
Ibid.
[10]
Ibid.
