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ISTANBUL, June 14-- As the crisis between Qatar and some Muslim countries continues unabated amid efforts for a settlement, Turkey's siding with Doha has been criticized for not serving the country's interests while ruining its chance of mediation. "Ankara's excessively one-sided intrusion in the crisis may lead to a loss of sympathy, respect and funds from Saudi Arabia and others in the anti-Qatar camp," Faruk Logoglu, a former diplomat, told Xinhua. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain as well as several other Muslim nations including Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar at the beginning of last week. They also closed off sea, air and land links to the tiny Gulf country, accusing it of funding terrorism, hosting terrorists and interfering in their internal affairs. Doha, for its part, dismissed the claim as unjustified. Two days after the crisis broke out, the Turkish parliament swiftly ratified a deal to deploy troops to Qatar that was signed in late 2017. Ilhan Uzgel, a senior analyst of international relations, feels that Turkey's pro-Qatar policy brings serious risks to itself. "By taking the Qatari side, Turkey confronts a huge Sunni block that stretches from North Africa to the Maldives," he told Xinhua. The Turkish military said in a statement on Tuesday that a three-member military delegation went to Qatar in preparation for the establishment of a military base there. | 
