Daily Times

DOHA: Qatar’s ambassador to Turkey Salem bin Mubarak has dismissed fears about straining defence relations between Qatar and Turkey amid Gulf crisis.

In an interview, Salem bin Mubarak said Qatar can survive a blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. “There is no reason to be afraid of our defence relations with Turkey,” the envoy said.

“No one has the right to meddle in or comment on our relations,” he stressed. “This is a sovereign issue and there is no need to make a fuss about it.” Qatar has been reeling under a blockade imposed last month by the four countries and Yemen, who accuse Doha of interfering in their domestic affairs and supporting terror groups.

The Qatari government has strongly rejected the accusations and stressed the blockade is a violation of international law. Turkey has vowed to stand by Qatar and called on Saudi Arabia to end all sanctions. Last month, Turkey’s parliament ratified two deals on deploying troops to Qatar and training its army.

The Qatari diplomat dismissed calls by the four countries for Doha to close the Turkish base in Qatar as “illogical”. “Though the defence expenses of some countries equal that of a nuclear power, they are incapable of dealing with some issues that threaten their security alone and seek the help of allies,” he said.

“They [blockade countries], however, want us to cut our defence ties with Turkey, which is not logical,” he said. The envoy said Qatar has defence cooperation with some countries in the region and around the world. “We don’t see any reason that prevents us from having defence cooperation with Turkey,” he said. “On the contrary, circumstances in the region dictate us to cooperate intensively and effectively in this regard.”

The ambassador went on to describe his country’s defence cooperation with Turkey as “very good”. “The two countries are looking to bolster this cooperation,” he said. Bin Mubarak said cooperation between Qatar and other friendly states “aim to develop Qatar’s capabilities” with a view to “maintaining national security and fighting terrorism”. “This all serve security and stability of our country and the region,” he said.