Okaz

WHAT does Turkey want from Qatar? It’s no longer a question that needs to be asked. After the diplomatic crisis worsened following Qatar’s obstinacy, this question has become relevant. Is Turkey hoping to realize its imperial designs in the Gulf through the gates of Qatar?

It should be understood that the meeting point between the designs of Qatar and Turkey toward the Gulf region is far above than what some people have visualized. Perhaps the major tool in the possession of the two sides is Qatar’s wealth, which Turkey knows and utilizes astutely. There is also proof that the Muslim Brotherhood has made Doha and Istanbul its headquarters, and this international terrorist organization is keen to abolish geographical borders between Arab and Islamic countries. Qatar has become a hideout of these poisonous snakes, who are plotting to undermine the stability of key states in the region, especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

What interest is to be served for Qatar in this coalition of which it would become the first victim? It was revealed that the hypocritical and mercenary Brotherhood was eager to exploit the capabilities of the nations by hatching plots at various points in time and also planning coups and fomenting clashes at other time.

There is no doubt that Turkey is upbeat with the illusion of restoring the Ottoman Empire at the expense of the nations in the region and it sees Qatar as an open gate to their dreams of building such an empire. As for Doha, it is the only capital of a Gulf country that allowed the establishing of a Turkish military base on its soil, and this has baffled its neighbors.

The announcement about setting up of the first military base outside Turkey, specifically in Qatar, has triggered a big controversy and this base is considered by many as a new door for Turkey to extend its sway over the Arabian Gulf.

What would be the objective of this military base and who are its targets while taking into account the fact that Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Peninsula Shield Forces besides being a party to the Joint Arab Defense Agreement? Is there any specific message underlying the establishment of this Turkish base rather than contributing to a military escalation in the region?

Did any Gulf country ask Turkey to guarantee its security? Is there any sense on the part of the Gulf states in pretending not to see such a military presence on the soil of a country, which is still a member of the GCC, and is associated with the Gulf states with security and military agreements, especially when Doha is bound to comply with these agreements?

The Iranian and Turkish designs are not going to succeed at the expense of the Gulf states. If they still cherish such imperial dreams, they are forgetting the lessons of history. Turks, before the Persians, have to remember the Battle of Al-Wajbah that took place in 1893. The then Qatari ruler Sheikh Jassem Bin Muhammad Al-Thani defeated the Ottomans in that battle. They have to remember that all the Gulf people are prepared to wage 1,000 Al-Wajbahs.

Qatar should use its wisdom and logic in reviewing its practices and return to the GCC fold by fulfilling its commitments. Qatar and other Gulf states are not simply geographical neighbors but the social fabric of Qatar, Saudi, Bahrain and UAE is one and the same. That’s why, these states, when they announced the severing of diplomatic and consular ties with Doha on June 5, reiterated their keenness to continue their relations with the people of Qatar and exempted the joint Qatar-Gulf families from the purview of boycott, especially movement of members of these families to and fro between Qatar and these three Gulf States.

It is high time for Qatar to wake up from its stupidity and renounce its actions completely not only inside its society but outside in the region as well. Even its media, that is dedicated to sow division and incitement, has been swayed by the prevailing wind.

The Qatari government is weighed down by the burden of its reckless decisions, taken in quick succession, after its practices that are harmful to the governments and people of the Gulf countries were exposed. It has harmed itself and its neighbors because of these unwise measures that spanned over a period of nearly 20 years. It is important that Qatar realizes that the Gulf states severing relations with it would expose its connivance with Iran that recruits agents through whom it tries to have hegemony over the Arabian Gulf and the states in the region.

The Qatari leadership should understand that the sisterly Qatari people would not dispense with their identity despite the attempts of Iran and Turkey. The Ottoman and Persian designs won’t bring them a pleasant life in the Gulf. The Qatari-Turkish alliance or the Qatari-Iranian alliance would be confronted by a much stronger Gulf, Arab, Islamic and global alliance, which is sure to foil all its machinations.

It is certain that the Qatari government is moving on a wrong track and has caged itself with a series of wrong decisions. It cannot come out of it except by joining with its sister countries, whose intentions are clean and clear and are not proponents of hidden agendas and plots such as that of those who want to devour the Gulf states and control their wealth and earnings, thereby establishing a hegemony.