Ankara reiterates military commitment to Qatar but new troop build-up ruled out

Turkish ambassador Fikret Ozer has reiterated his country’s commitment to Qatar, describing security co-operation between the two governments as “very good” and saying Ankara will maintain a military presence in Qatar for as long as it is welcome. “The Turkish military base will remain as long as the Qataris are still interested in hosting us,” Ozer told GSN on 14 March.Turkish troops were sent to Qatar soon after the dispute between Doha and the GCC-3 of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE broke out last June, under an agreement dating back to 2014.