DUBAI — Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Turkey Walid Al-Khuraiji has said that the Turkish base in Qatar “complicates the situation.” He also expressed Riyadh’s hope that Ankara would take a “neutral” position on the crisis with Doha.
“Any regional forces are mistaken if they think that their intervention will solve the issue, and we expect these forces to respect the existing regional order and to resolve any emergency issue,” Al-Khuraiji said in an interview with Turkey’s daily newspaper Daily Sabah.
“We hoped that Ankara would stay impartial for the sake of keeping good relations with all the Gulf countries,” he said. “When Ankara sided with Doha, it lost its neutrality as an unbiased party seeking mediation,” he said.
"Bringing foreign armies from regional countries, and armored mechanisms, is a military escalation that Qatar will bear its consequences,” he said.
Al-Khuraiji also stressed that “Saudi Arabia has no doubt about the Turkish motives and Ankara’s concern for the security and stability of the region.”
However, there are other considerations of Qatar’s neighboring countries and it must be taken into account. The regional military involvement will not solve the problem but will increase its complexity.
“Saudi Arabia cannot allow Turkey to establish military bases in the country. Ankara knows very well that the Kingdom does not need that and that Saudi armed forces and their military capabilities are at the best level
both domestically and abroad. This includes forces joining of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to combat terrorism and protect security and stability in the region,” he added.
With regard to the issued list of demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to Qatar last Friday, the Saudi ambassador said: “The demand Doha stops supporting terrorism and launching
hostile media is not a matter of guardianship, but safeguards the security of the boycotting countries.”
When Turkey felt that there was a threat to its security on its border with Syria, it didn’t just make a political move, it also took military action to preserve its national security, he added. — Al-Arabiya English
