Turkish pilots are set to train with Qatar’s French-made Rafale jets, the exact same jets Greece has acquired, hoping to counter the increase capabilities of the Hellenic Air Force, reports the Nordic Monitor.
According to the report, '"documents obtained from a Turkish parliamentary committee, one of the reasons for Turkey’s push to strike a military training agreement with Qatar was to familiarise its air force with the Rafale fighter jet’s capabilities in a bid to a perceived threat posed by the Greek Air Force in the Aegean and Mediterranean."
“We can say that one of the reasons for the agreement between Turkey and Qatar is that Qatar would bring and deploy these Rafale aircraft, which it bought from France, to Turkey,” explained lawmaker Gülüstan Kiliç Koçyiğit while commenting on the articles of the agreement during deliberations in the Foreign Affairs Committee on November 30, 2021.
“Greece took a position to challenge us both in the eastern Mediterranean and on our borders by purchasing Rafale jets from France,” she added. Koçyiğit urged a diplomatic approach to settle differences rather than striking military deals with other countries, including Qatar.
