Hürriyet: Saudi Arabia has proposed that Turkey establish a base on its territory

Saudi Arabia has sent Turkey a proposal to establish a military base on its territory.

It could be set up along the lines of the base Turkey has in Qatar, the newspaper Hürriyet reported.

The Turkish base in Qatar has been operating since 2015 under a bilateral agreement. According to open sources, about 3,000 Turkish servicemen are stationed there. It is used for joint exercises and for training personnel of Qatar's armed forces.

The issue of establishing a base in Saudi Arabia may be considered after the republic's parliament ratifies the Mecca agreement on joint defense between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

This week the document passed the foreign affairs committee, and now it must be approved by parliament as a whole. Parliament must also issue a mandate for sending troops abroad and adopt a separate document on establishing the base, if Turkish lawmakers deem it necessary.

According to Hürriyet, as part of its new security concept Turkey is considering expanding its military presence on various continents, in particular in Africa and Asia, on the basis of bilateral agreements and arrangements within various alliances. This is due in part to U.S. plans to reduce its direct military presence in the Middle East in 2027-2028. "Turkey's goal in the new era is to use its military potential not only to protect its own borders, but also to create a deterrent effect and diplomatic influence in various regions where it has security interests," the newspaper writes.

Turkey has military bases in 12 countries. The largest of them is located in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where a military contingent of more than 30,000 is stationed. Turkey's bases are also located in Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Libya and a number of other countries.