Turkey steps up support for Qatar, discusses Gulf tensions with Saudi

(REUTERS) Turkey sent a first ship of food supplies to Qatar on Thursday and was also sending a small contingent of soldiers, media reported, while President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabia's leaders on calming tensions in the region.

Turkey has backed Qatar after Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab states cut all economic and diplomatic ties with Doha this month, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge it denies.

Ankara has also sought to keep up good relations with the rest of the Gulf and sources from Erdogan's office said he spoke by phone overnight with Saudi Arabia's King Salman and new crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, congratulating the latter on his promotion.

"Agreement was reached on increasing efforts towards ending tension in the region related to Qatar," the sources said in a statement regarding the phone calls on Thursday.

Turkey's parliament fast-tracked legislation on June 7 to allow more troops to be deployed to a military base in Qatar that houses Turkish soldiers under an agreement signed in 2014.

According to the website of the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper, 25 soldiers and five armored vehicles were being sent to Qatar on Thursday to join 88 Turkish soldiers already there. Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment.

After the deployment, a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday, Hurriyet said. The number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000, it said, adding that an air force contingent was also envisaged.

Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said Turkey has so far sent 105 cargo planes of supplies, but that it was not sustainable to maintain aid supplies through an air lift.

"It is not economical or sustainable to send normal food supplies by airplane," he told state-run Anadolu news agency on Wednesday, adding that it was beginning to send aid by ships and by road. He said that alongside food supplies, consumer durables and household goods would also be sent.