Turkey and Qatar will hold joint naval drills on August 6-7, as part of a two-stage joint exercise amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Doha and several other Arab states, Anadolu news agency reported Friday citing Qatar’s Defense Ministry.
According to Anadolu, the coordination of actions to be taken within the drills was discussed on board the Turkish frigate TCG Gokova. Qatar Emiri Navy Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser Al Mohannadi participated in the discussion.
The Turkish vessel carrying 214 participating Turkish servicemen has already docked at Hamad Port.
Earlier in August, the two states launched the first stage of the exercise on the ground. Over 250 Turkish servicemen and more than 30 armored vehicles participated in the drills as part of a 2014 bilateral security agreement.
The exercises will take place even as Qatar continues to be under pressure from four nearby countries that have issued a series of demands to Doha amid an ongoing diplomatic crisis.
In early June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs. Several nations, including Turkey and Kuwait, have made efforts to act as mediators in the conflict.
Source: Sputnik
