Turkey's Erdogan Casts Doubt on Gulf Terror Claims Against Qatar

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has doubted that claims that Qatar is funding terrorist groups have grounds, adding Ankara will continue to give all kinds of support to Doha.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Erdogan said Friday he had not witnessed Doha backing terrorism after Gulf states accused Qatari charities of sponsoring extremists in the region, Turkish media reported.

"There is no such thing. I know those foundations," Erdogan was quoted as saying in Istanbul by the Anadolu news agency, adding Ankara "will continue to give all kinds of support to Qatar."

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut diplomatic ties and traffic links with the small nation on Monday. Days later, they designated several Qatari-funded entities as terrorist organizations.

Erdogan said his country would continue to stand by Qatar and urged Saudi Arabia to end Doha’s isolation. He also approved the deployment of Turkish troops to Qatar, in a sign of support.

The Saudi-led move to blockade Qatar has been upheld by Yemen, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mauritania and Libya’s eastern-based government. The standoff has led to food shortages and stockpiling in the energy-rich country which relies heavily on imports.