Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler addresses the crews of TCG Kumkale and TCG Kuşadası at Qatar's Umm al-Houl Naval Base. (Millî Savunma Bakanlığı)
The patrol vessels that will form Türkiye's permanent naval presence in Qatar have arrived in the emirate, it was revealed when Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler visited the new Qatari naval base.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense (MSB) announced in July that the Tuzla-class patrol vessels TCG Kumkale (P1203) and TCG Kuşadası (P 1215) would sail to Qatar to form the naval component of Qatar-Turkish Combined Joint Force Command.
In a speech to the vessels' crews at Umm al-Houl Naval Base, which is next to Hamad Port south of Doha, Güler described the establishment of the naval component as “an important step that will take our relations with Qatar to the next level”. He said it will support Qatar's defence, provide maritime training to Qatari forces, and contribute to regional security through joint training and exercises.
It was revealed in August that Türkiye has also deployed an air component consisting of several F-16 multirole fighters to Qatar's Dukhan Air Base. It has had a land component in Qatar since June 2017.
For more information, please seeJoint Qatari-Turkish squadron revealed .
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