Turkey will
help Qatar ensure security during the World Cup in 2022. The relevant provisions are contained in a
bilateral protocol signed several months ago.
Most importantly, the document will continue to operate after a
large-scale sporting event. This gives
reason to talk about the expansion of the Turkish presence in the emirate.
The text of
the protocol signed between the Qatari and Turkish leaders suggests that
countries will develop bilateral security cooperation, especially in the
framework of world-wide events.
According to official statements, the agreement aims to strengthen
strategic partnership on the eve of World Cup 2022. The protocol, which is called the “Letter of
Intention to cooperate in the implementation of mega-events,” was signed by
Turkish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs MukhteremInche and the Qatari
Brigadier General Ibrahim Khalil al-Mohannadi, who heads the Security Committee
of the Supreme Committee for Supply and Heritage.
The Turkish
state press notes that Ankara will also provide personnel support to the
emirate as part of emergency operations and the fight against chemical,
biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
Turkish police will also send officers to the Qatar Mining Service. Collaboration under the protocol will include
“anti-crime measures, counter-terrorism measures, participation in field
missions related to mega-events”. The
text says that the parties will "exchange experience in the field of
advanced training", which involves the exchange of study visits and
bilateral meetings. However, the most
important thing is that Turkey will continue to provide security in the Qatari
territory even after the end of the mundial.
In part, this gives reason to talk about
Turkey’s plans to increase its presence in the emirate and, accordingly, in the
Persian Gulf region. Ankara’s plan to
expand its military base in Qatar at the expense of the naval and air forces in
addition to the ground forces was announced earlier. Turkish authorities, experts say, want to
make the base the headquarters of the combined forces. So, at the beginning of this year, the number
of Turkish troops at the facility in Qatar could grow by a thousand
people. Now in the emirate, 1,434 people
are deployed from the Turkish ground forces, 272 from the Air Force and 228
from the Navy. The headquarters will be
staffed by 108 employees. The service
will be handled by a group of 758 people.
This automatically turns the Turkish contingent in Qatar into a brigade
task force.
Ankara and Doha are
part of a tactical alliance collaborating with Tehran. In this regard, a former member of the
Turkish parliament, AykanErdemir, who leads the Turkish program at the American
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, notes: the United States needs to
develop a multi-level response to strengthen Qatari-Turkish ties. Both countries are formal allies of the
United States, but have a regional agenda that runs counter to American
interests.
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