Qatar asked for Turkey’s help to quell popular protests

Qatari authorities have asked Turkish troops stationed in Qatar to help establish security and stability in the face of angry protests, Turkish newspaper 24 reported Tuesday.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview with a British newspaper, stressed the role of his country’s troops stationed in the Gulf state. Turkish forces in Qatar serve the stability and peace of the Gulf region and should not be bothered by that, he said, adding that the two countries have strategic relations, especially in the field of defense.

In the same interview, Erdogan stressed the benefits of relations between the two countries, especially in the field of defense. “Given Qatar’s modest capabilities in this area, Turkey is trying to maintain its security and defense relationship with Qatar, despite the doubts of most security and military experts about its feasibility.”

Commenting on these statements, the newspaper quoted analysts as saying: Erdogan’s statements seek to exaggerate the role of the Turkish forces, explaining the Turkish President’s desire to obtain Qatari funds, as confirmed by the website of Turkish newspaper Ahval, which specializes in Turkish affairs.

Experts also pointed out that the Turks margin of action in Qatar may be very limited, as they are in a very sensitive area for the United States, which maintains a strong military presence in the Gulf state, and deploys 8000 American troops, who are participating in military operations that extend across the region.

In contrast, there are 1500 Turkish soldiers in Qatar, who are stationed at the Al Rayyan and Tariq Bin Ziyad bases. For this reason, according to the newspaper, experts describe the Turkish military presence in Qatar as symbolic, regardless of its size, and believe that its role cannot go beyond the psychological dimension in providing reassurance to the ruling family.

The Turkish newspaper 24 asked why the Turkish troops are there or how important they are? She pointed out that Erdogan’s visit to Qatar came shortly after the price of the Turkish lira fell, as the US dollar reached 7.9 lira, the worst fall ever. It also appears in light of the extremely costly tensions that Turkey is experiencing from the eastern Mediterranean to the southern Caucasus.

“Observers often question equal opportunities to take advantage of rapidly evolving relations between Ankara and Doha, seeing the balance as being entirely on the Turkish side and not in Qatar’s favor, with Erdogan emphasizing that joint ventures in the military, security and defense industries are the backbone of Turkey-Qatar relations.”

Erdogan added: He noted that his country’s exports to Qatar reached about 10% last year, noting that there are currently 500 Turkish companies operating in Qatar. He said only Turkish construction companies have undertaken projects worth nearly $18.5 billion in Qatar.

The news about the deployment of Turkish troops to protect the Qatari regime in Doha follows a wave of popular anger over the exclusion of Qatari tribes from political life and their denial of civil and political rights as stipulated in international agreements and human rights.