Turkish parliament approves bill to deploy troops in Qatar

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, in this May 30, 2017 photo. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas)

ANKARA: Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday approved a draft bill allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar, an apparent move to support the Gulf Arab country as it faces diplomatic and trade isolation from some of the biggest Middle Eastern powers.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and closed their airspace to commercial flights on Monday, charging it with financing militant groups. Qatar denies the accusations.
The bill, drafted before the rift, passed with 240 votes in favor, largely with support from the ruling AK Party and nationalist opposition MHP.
(Reporting by Gulsen Solaker)