Anakra - The latest decison by Turkish government to set a military base and send troops to Qatar was faced by disapproval by Turkish opposition. Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy group chairman Engin Altay said on Thursday that "Ankara has now become squeezed between the Gulf states after [being squeezed in] the stalemate between Russia and the United States," Turkish Minute reported. Turkey's parliament adopted a law on Wednesday night to allow Turkish troops to be stationed on Qatari soil. Turkey set up a military base in Qatar, its first such installation in the Middle East, as part of an agreement signed in 2014. In 2016, Ahmet Davutoğlu, the then-Turkish prime minister, visited the base where 150 personnel are already stationed. "Turkey should develop policies that serve regional peace rather than taking sides. Turkey should not be a human resource supply for ISIL [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant]. It should get away from being the logistics supply base of terrorist organizations," he added. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates took an unprecedented decision to cut off their air, sea and land links to Qatar on Monday, accusing Doha of sponsoring terrorism in the Middle East . According to the bill, the cooperation between Qatar and Turkey will primarily involve modernization of Qatar's military as well as expanding cooperation in training and war exercises. The bill did not specify how many troops would go nor when, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
