Qatar’s top diplomat has said Turkish troops are en route to the embattled Gulf country “for the security of the entire region.
“Turkish troops are coming to Qatar for the sake of the securıty of the entire region,” Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said in Doha while briefing the press on June 8 on the recent crisis with a group of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Turkey’s parliament on June 7 ratified two deals on deploying troops in Qatar and training the country’s gendarmerie forces, amid criticism from the opposition ranks.
The votes came just days after five Arab countries cut ties with the gas-rich Gulf nation.
The deal on deploying troops on Qatari soil to improve the country’s army and boost military cooperation was signed back in April 2016 in the Qatari capital Doha.
Under the bill, the armies of the two countries will also be able to carry out joint exercises, with the two sides saying it “aims to contribute to regional and world peace.”
