DOHA: Qatar held joint military exercises with Turkish troops on Monday, Qatari media reported, showcasing their strategic alliance two months into a boycott by Arab neighbors which accuse Doha of supporting terrorism.
Turkey is one of the few powerful countries in the Middle East to stand firmly by Qatar after Saudi Arabia, Egypt and several others proclaimed it a supporter of terrorism and cut off all economic and diplomatic ties.
Qatar, the world’s richest country per capita, denies supporting terrorism and says it is being punished for straying from its neighbours’ political line of backing the region’s authoritarian hereditary and military rulers.
Turkey’s parliament fast-tracked legislation on June 7 to allow hundreds of troops to be deployed to a military base in Qatar, set up as part of an agreement signed in 2014, in a show of support for Qatar.
Ankara has said it will deploy 3,000 ground troops at the base to serve as a venue for joint training exercises and to support anti-terrorism effortss.
