A delegation consisting of three members of the Turkish military was dispatched to Qatar on Tuesday to make preparations for troop deployment to the country, which is now in a diplomatic crisis with other Gulf states.
According to a statement on the Turkish General Staff website on Tuesday, the delegation was sent to Qatar on Tuesday to explore coordination in preparation for the deployment of troops to a Turkish base in Qatar.
On June 7, the Turkish Parliament approved legislation allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar amid a diplomatic crisis that erupted on June 5 after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and Maldives severed relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Criticizing a joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE that placed 59 individuals and 12 organizations — Qatar-based or funded by Qatar — on a “terror list,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “They said some foundations were established in Qatar for different purposes. That cannot happen. I know those foundations. I have never witnessed Qatar giving support to terrorism.”
“Turkey will continue to give all sorts of support to Qatar,” he added.