DUBAI — According to a Turkey’s pro-government Hurriyet daily news report, Ankara is expected to inaugurate a new Turkish military base in Qatar in autumn.

The report says that the opening ceremony is expected to be attended by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The military base in Qatar is getting bigger. A new base has been built near the Tariq Bin Ziyad military base,” the report said. Turkish soldiers have been deployed at Tariq Bin Ziyad military base since October 2015.

The report added that the number of soldiers will increase without disclosing their numbers out of consideration of “Turkey’s interests and security”.

“I can say that it will reach a drastic figure. Qatar also attaches a great deal of importance to this military base,” revealed the reporter who traveled to Doha to visit the military base.

Ankara and Doha formed a higher strategic committee in 2015 in order to bolster their relations.

Qatar had also resorted to Turkish security support after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt launched a boycott of Doha in 2017 for its continued support for extremist groups.

After the boycott, Ankara has boosted its presence at the Qatari base that can host some 3,000 soldiers. — Agencies