Turkish troops head to Qatar as diplomatic row deepens
Qatar is reportedly set to welcome up to 1,000 Turkish troops as the diplomatic row engulfing the state worsens.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed his support for the under-fire state, which has been subject to a blockade from an alliance of its neighbours, led by Saudi Arabia.
The closure of Turkey’s military base in Qatar was one of the key 13 demands laid out by Saudi and its allies, who have accused the country of aiding terrorism.
Erdoğan came fully out in support of Qatar during a speech on Sunday, calling the demands laid out by the other gulf states for lifting the blockade a breach of international law.
Erdoğan came fully out in support of Qatar during a speech on Sunday
"To ask Turkey to pull out its troops from Qatar is firstly disrespectful behaviour towards us," the Turkish president said in Istanbul.
"We don’t need permission from anyone to establish military bases among partners. We endorse and appreciate Qatar’s stance towards the 13 demands."
Saudi Arabia told Qatar on Friday it had 10 days to comply with the list of demands, which included the removal of Turkish troops, scaling down its relationship with Iran and the shutting down of media network al-Jazeera.
Qatar has said it will not comply with the demands ahead of the 3 July deadline, and it is not clear what the Saudi response will be when it passes.