President Tayyip Erdogan yesterday dismissed calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar and said a wider list of demands issued by four Arab states was an unlawful intervention against the Qatar’s sovereignty.
Erdogan said the call to withdraw Turkish forces was disrespectful and that Doha - which described the demands as unreasonable - was taking the right approach.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed a blockade on June 5 on Qatar and issued 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television, curbing relations with Iran, shutting the Turkish base and paying reparations.
Qatar said it was reviewing the list, but said it was not reasonable or actionable.
“We approve and appreciate the attitude of Qatar against the list of 13 demands,” Erdogan, speaking outside a mosque in Istanbul, said. “...This approach of 13 demands is against international law because you cannot attack or intervene in the sovereignty of a country.”
Erdogan said the demands on Qatar had gone “too far.”
“What we are talking about here is an attack on the sovereign rights of a state,” he said.
“There cannot be such an attack on countries’ sovereignty rights in international law.”
Turkey, the most powerful regional country to stand by Qatar, has sent 100 cargo planes with supplies since its neighbours cut air and sea links. It has also rushed through legislation to send more troops to its base in Doha.
Two contingents of Turkish troops with columns of armoured vehicles have arrived since the crisis erupted on June 5, and Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that further reinforcements would be beneficial.
“The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security,” he said. “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”
Hurriyet newspaper said last week a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Eid al-Fitr holiday which started yesterday, and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to Qatar could eventually reach 1,000. An air force contingent was also envisaged, it said.
“Will we take permission from others when we co-operate on defence with a country? No offence but Turkey is not an ordinary country, it is not an ordinary state,” he said. Erdogan said Turkey had also offered to establish a military base in Saudi Arabia, but never received a clear answer.
“If Saudi Arabia wants us to have base there, a step towards this also can be taken,” he told reporters. “I made this offer to the king himself and they said they will consider this.”
“They did not come back to us since that day and even though they still didn’t come back to us on this, asking Turkey to pull back its troops (from Qatar) is disrespectful against Turkey”.
President Tayyip Erdogan
