Turkey on Thursday sent its first ship loaded with aid for its regional ally Qatar which has been hit by sanctions from Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia, state media said.
Turkey has already sent over 100 planes with food and other aid for Qatar but this is the first time a cargo ship has embarked on the voyage to Doha.The ship left the Aegean port of Aliaga in Izmir province with around 4,000 tonnes of fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs on board, the Anadolu news agency said. It should arrive in 10 days.
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain broke off relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting "terrorism".
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately vowed to support Qatar.
Ankara vehemently rejected the accusations -- already strongly denied by Doha -- that Qatar supports terrorism, arguing the country had been a staunch opponent of Islamic State jihadists.
Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Wednesday that Turkey had already sent 105 cargo flights to Qatar loaded with aid to help the country through the crisis.
In a sign of the importance of the relations with Riyadh, Erdogan late on Wednesday held phone talks with Saudi King Salman after the sudden appointment of his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince in place of Mohammed bin Nayef.
Erdogan also spoke with Mohammed bin Salman himself and passed on his congratulations over the move, Anadolu said.
Both sides expressed a commitment to further strengthen relations between Ankara and Riyadh and to "step up efforts" to end the tensions concerning Qatar, it added.
