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Turkey's Envoy to Doha Refutes Reports of Plans to Deploy New Troops in Qatar

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey's ambassador to Doha Fikret Ozer refuted the claims on Friday about Ankara's alleged plans to deploy additional military forces in Qatar.
Sputnik

On Thursday, some Turkish media outlets reported that Ozer said at a press conference about Ankara's plans to deploy the country's navy and air force to already stationed land forces to Turkey's base in Qatar. An agreement on establishing a military base in Qatar was signed between the two states in 2014.

"The statement I made two days ago — in answer to a question — was misinterpreted… My statement was cited as if Turkey planned to establish additional bases in Qatar… I was referring to the 2014 agreement, but this was understood as if it were something new," Ozer told the Anadolu news agency.

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The ambassador stressed that the press conference was devoted to Turkey's operation in Syrian Afrin, and not to the military cooperation between Ankara and Doha. He specified that the question he answered was about the fact that the issue of military deployment should be agreed between the two states, according to the news agency.

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In June 2017, a group of Turkish servicemen arrived at a base in southern Doha in line with the 2014 agreement. Turkey offered an increased support to Doha amid a diplomatic crisis between some Arab states the same month, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing the country of interfering in their internal affairs and supporting terrorism.

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