23:07 GMT +3 hours30 April 2016
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, right, inspect a military honour guard at the new presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014.

Turkey Has Plans to Station 1000s of Troops at New Military Base in Qatar

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As Turkey faces international backlash over provocative actions, Ankara plans to expand its military footprint abroad.

As part of a "multi-purpose" mission to confront "common enemies," Turkey will establish its first overseas military installation in Qatar.

"Turkey and Qatar face common problems and we are both very concerned about developments in the region and uncertain policies of other countries…We confront common enemies," Ahmet Demirok, Turkey’s ambassador to Qatar, said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. "At this critical time for the Middle East cooperation between us is vital."

The base will be used to station approximately 3,000 troops, as well as air and naval units, special operations forces, and military trainers. While Demirok did not elaborate on who, exactly, "common enemies" refers to, he did indicate that the base will be used primarily for joint training exercises.

The agreement also paves the way for Qatar to open its own military base in Turkey.

"Today we are not building a new alliance but rather rediscovering historic and brotherly ties," Demirok added.

Nearly 100 troops are already in the Gulf nation training Qatari forces.

When completed, the new base will be the Turkish military’s second-largest overseas deployment, after the Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Commands, and the motivations for the expansion remain unclear.

"Qatar, as a member of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council], is historically in the Saudi sphere of influence," Jason Ditz writes for AntiWar.com, "but they and Turkey are noteworthy in being among few nations backing the Muslim Brotherhood, a fact which has at times caused a split within the GCC."

Turkey came under fire last month for downing a Russian bomber in Syrian airspace. That incident left two Russian soldiers dead, and created a substantial rift in relations between Ankara and Moscow.

"It is hard or almost impossible for us to agree with the current Turkish government, as experience has shown," Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual press conference on Thursday. "And even when and where we say yes to them, we are stabbed in the side or in the back, for unknown reasons to us."

Ankara is also being criticized over its decision to hundreds of troops into northern Iraq. While claiming the deployment was necessary to protect military trainers already in the region, the Iraqi government views the incursion as a breach of national sovereignty.

"The government is committed to maintain good neighborly relations, but at the same time reiterates its right to take measures to protect national sovereignty," the Iraqi government said in a statement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi gave Ankara 48 hours to remove its troops, but Turkey has failed to comply. The United Nations Security Council is currently reviewing a formal complaint lodged by Baghdad.

Related:
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Turkey’s ‘Crack Down’ on Journalists Demands EU Response
Tags:
military expansion, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Haidar al-Abadi, Vladimir Putin, Ahmet Demirok, Iraq, Cyprus, Qatar, Turkey
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  • maskazer
    After stealing Syrian and Iraqi oil, Sultan-President Erdogan feels more confident playing a greater role in the world of energy security.
  • Ivan Zadorozhny
    Ok, so Qatar now enjoys the NATO security guarantee.
  • Andreas
    German ARD television (`Panorama` magazine) this hour just reported on the downing of a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian-Turkish border. Not a benign report for the Turkish administration.
  • marcanhalt
    I's not personal, Putin, it is just business. (Wink) The last guy to say that was named Corleone.
  • marcanhaltin reply tomaskazer(Show commentHide comment)
    maskazer, It is all about getting his nose into the tent of Qatar to get a natural gas pipe through Iran and Iraq. Good luck with that one.
  • buckwheatisback
    Qatar is wetting it's bed sheets because of Iran, they are bristling wit modern military hardware but the inbred Qatari population is to inept to operate it. So just like the Saudi's Qatar is bringing in outside mercenaries, be it Islamist Turks because they fear they finally tick off the Iranians to the point where they will start taking action against both of those Pig fornicating Islamist cesspools in Qatar & Saudi Arabia.
  • ConcernedCitizen
    Is this suppose to be some kind of a trip wire against Iran invading Saudi Arabia. Or the opposite, some kind of threat to Saudi Arabia. Or is it that it puts Turkey within striking distance of Yemen. One thing for sure, the situation seems to be getting more out of hand.
  • dvdgrg09
    Big money mafia transferring the mercenary training to Qatar, Exxon-Mobil-MB-Mossad-CIA anybody missing?

    news.yahoo.com/israel-turkey-reach-preliminary-deal-restore-ties-israeli-193632977.html

    Maybe even a Wahhabi-MB-Zionist menage a trois? All the psychos under the same roof? Or maybe with ISIS going out, Syria beyond reach, the heat is on Turkey, so the Rothschild-Cheney-Marduk-Negroponte-Petraeus gang is moving to target Iran.
  • qvasko 15
    Well, sunni deals are coming up in the times of crisis
  • cast235
    YU.N resolutions are the BEST Toilet Tissue in the world. Israel loves it.. NK is mess because Ban Ki Moon boss, ordered it..
    Israel already is planning to use all resolutions and use them as fertilizer to plant at stolen lands. Check intel videos of natanyahoo. He walks to the throne, with a roll of U.N tissues.
  • arnelmadrinan
    why not just bomb both of them , kill those rats
  • maskazerin reply tomarcanhalt(Show commentHide comment)
    marcanhalt, I thought Ankara is working on Qatar - Jordan - Syria gas pipeline not Iran - Iraq route. She sees Iran as a geopolitical competitor.
  • marcanhaltin reply tomaskazer(Show commentHide comment)
    maskazer, Who really knows Erdogan's next move? It is safe to say the US will not gain much of an advantage if your formula is right since Jordan is already sleeping outside of the door of its master, the US. Ahh! but the other route would be as interesting as the shoot down of the Su-24M. See what I mean?
  • new Ottoman Reich (empire) in the making
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