CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 84

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA
The role of Iran and Turkey in the confl ict
Saudi Arabia and its allies set thirteen claims as precondition for re-
storing relations with Doha. 13 Some of those requirements were related
to Iran. They demanded that Qatar diminish the level of diplomatic rela-
tions with Iran, shut down Qatar’s diplomatic mission in Iran, expel from
Qatar Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps offi cials and all those who were
connected with those offi cials, and limit economic ties with Iran in line
with international and American sanctions so that they would not have a
negative impact on the security situation of the Gulf Cooperation Council
Member States, as well as terminate any kind of military and intelligence
cooperation with Iran. 14
The other part of the claims was related to Turkey. The Quartet states
demanded immediate closure of the Turkish military base in Qatar and
complete suspension of military cooperation with Turkey on the territory
of Qatar. 15
In any case, the Qatar crisis contributed to strengthening the positions
of both Turkey and Iran in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia, aspiring to
dominate over the region, was so persistently striving to do. Still in 2015,
Saudi Arabia and its allies, including Qatar, were drawn into the Yemeni
crisis so as to counteract Iran’s advancement. However, it was ineff ective.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia and its allies have failed to cause tangible
damage to Iran’s positions in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. As for Turkey, it
should be noted that if Iran is an enemy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Turkey is its main competitor in the region.
Let us state that by the end of November 2017, two competitive pro-
cesses took place in the Middle East. A trade deal between Iran, Turkey,
and Qatar was signed in Tehran 16 , whereas the Defence Ministers of the
Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, which was formed with
about forty-member states on the initiative of the KSA as early as May
26, December 2015, conveyed the fi rst summit in Riyadh. 17
Thus, if earlier KSA was concerned with the rapprochement of Qa-
tar and Iran, after the blockade of Qatar, bilateral relations would enter
a new phase. A new giant port was launched in Qatar which is called on
to become Iran’s marine gateway. This circumstance will, naturally, boost
13
14
15
16
17
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
“Turkey, Iran and Qatar sign new trade-transport agreement,” Middle East Monitor, Novem-
ber 27, 2017, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171127-turkey-iran-and-qatar-sign-
new-trade-transport-agreement/ (accessed April 14, 2018).
Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, Closing Declaration of the Inaugural Meeting
of the IMCTC Ministers of Defence Council, November 26, 2017, https://imctc.org/English/
NewsroomDetail/Index/636473045674267274 (accessed May 16, 2018).
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