Turkey will not reassess deal on military base in Qatar, Defense Minister Işık says

ANKARA

Turkey does not plan to reassess a deal on its military base in Qatar, Defense Minister Fikri Işık said on June 23 in a reply to a call from four Arab states to shut down its military base in the Gulf state. 

“Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda,” Işık said in a televised interview, adding that Turkey’s presence in Qatar should be seen as a benefit for the whole Gulf.

The base is a guarantor of the security of Qatar and the Gulf, and demands for its closure showed interference in our ties with Doha, he added.

Işık said he is yet to see the list of 13 demands, including the closing down the Turkish military installation, made by four Arab states that are currently boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism.

“If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties,” he said, adding that Ankara had hoped that tensions with Qatar could be resolved without a crisis.

Five armored vehicles and 23 military personnel arrived in Doha on June 22 as part of Turkey’s military deployment.