Qatar’s Al Thani royal family appealed to Turkey for protection from anti-government protests
Although the World Cup in Qatar will soon be held in a few weeks, the Qatari agreement with Turkey to deploy Turkish police in Doha will extend to a full five years.
The agreement, details of which are revealed by the Nordic Monitor, says that Turkey will have the opportunity to deploy its police force in Qatar over the next five years, with the possibility of further extending that decision, although the stated intention was to secure the football tournament.
According to the survey network, the move has raised speculation that the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Muslim Brotherhood government is concerned about the sustainability of the Al Thani royal family in the rule of Qatar, and wants to ensure the ruling family’s stay in Doha, given what Erdogan links to the Tamim bin Hamad family, provided that these Turkish forces act as a riot police on the territory of Qatar, and face any possible protests within the next five years.
A Turkish military base in Qatar is already reported, with around 3,000 troops from the Ground Forces Command. Ankara plans to expand the base with naval and air assets.
The Turkish-Qatari Protocol, entitled: “Letter of Intent on Implementing Cooperation at Major Events”, published in the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee on March 1, amidst opposition rejection and objection, but ultimately approved by a majority controlled by the Erdogan government.
Opposition MP Ahmet Unal Chefkoz expressed his total rejection of the agreement, saying: “We are totally against this Convention, we have already announced that we will vote no, both in the Committee and in the General Assembly”, he said, referring to “what is stated in Article 4 of the Protocol, when Turkish individuals are sent, but this has not been determined when their work ends there”.
Unal Chefkoz continued: “I mean: How long will these people be there after the World Cup is over? Asked what other tasks the Turkish police will perform in Qatar after the World Cup ends.
Turkish MP Otko Gakrouzer continued: “How long will this cup last? Isn’t it a month? It usually takes a month”, he wondered: “Why did you ask for a five-year mandate from Parliament in your letter of intent?”
The Turkish MP said: “He has asked this question before, but has not received a response from the government, and expressed concern that Erdogan’s government plans to provide security in Qatar over the next five years”. He warned that it would be a grave mistake if that was the Government’s true intention.
Defending the agreement, Deputy Foreign Minister Sadat Unal said Turkey and Qatar have special relations and that their policies overlap in many areas from Libya and Syria to Palestine.
He also pointed out that Qatar is one of the few countries in the Arab League that opposed the statements against Turkey.
He declined to answer questions about why the protocol covers a five-year period and whether Turkish police will remain in Qatar once the World Cup is over.
Since 2014, Erdogan’s government has also made significant changes to police rules, removing most senior police commanders and veterans after corruption investigations in December 2013 that criminalized Erdogan, his family, his political allies and associates. The recruitment of new police officers has also been changed to reflect the Brotherhood’s and nationalist government ideologies.
The opposition noted that Turkish police have no experience working in Qatar, lack intelligence capabilities, are hampered by language barriers and will have difficulty conducting risk and challenge assessments on foreign soil.
Erhan Gulferin, deputy head of Turkey’s main law enforcement agency, the Directorate General of Security, also defended the protocol and rejected claims that its members lacked the international expertise needed to provide security for the World Cup. An information center has been set up to facilitate the exchange of intelligence information between Turkey and Qatar to assess risks in the Gulf state, he said.
The Chief of Police is the only person who has commented on why the Protocol has existed for five years. He said he believes the Turkish government wants to use the police for more cooperation with the Qatari government even after the World Cup ends.
He said the personnel to be deployed in Qatar will be selected in the summer of 2022 and will take a fast English course in addition to orientation to introduce Qatari culture.
The deal also puts Turkish police under the command of a Qatari commander, raising concerns in the Turkish parliament, which the opposition called unacceptable.
According to Turkish government sources, Qatar will commit 26,000 security personnel from the police, army, and other branches to provide safety for the World Cup.
The protocol was reportedly signed by Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheik Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, on 7 December 2021 in Doha.
That agreement determines how the 2019 framework agreement will be implemented in practice, and the protocol will become part of Turkish law after discussion in the General Assembly, will likely be approved, and then sent to the president for signature.
