Erdogan backs Kuwait-led mediation efforts on Qatar
The Turkish president yesterday urged Qatar and the quartet of Arab countries isolating Doha to negotiate an end to the crisis, as his two-day trip to meet with both sides ended in talks with the Qatari emir.
Turkey backs the Kuwait-led mediation efforts to end the crisis and hopes both sides can find a resolution through dialogue, a spokesman for Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
“The importance of acting in unity for the Muslim countries and respecting each other’s sovereignty was highlighted,” said Ibrahim Kalin.
There appears to be some momentum for de-escalation and potential direct talks after US secretary of state Rex Tillerson called on the countries boycotting Qatar to open the land border with Saudi Arabia as a sign of good faith.
It came after steps by Doha to implement a new agreement with Washington to counter fund-raising for terrorist groups.
In his first remarks on the crisis since it began last month, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, said on Friday last week that he was willing to negotiate as long as Doha’s sovereignty was not affected.
Mr Erdogan arrived in Doha yesterday to be greeted by Sheikh Tamim at his aeroplane.
His visit to Qatar followed diplomatic efforts in recent weeks by vice president of the EU commission, Federica Mogherini, Mr Tillerson and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany.
The Turkish president met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Sunday for talks to find a resolution to the Qatar crisis.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia – which, along with Bahrain and Egypt, began boycotting Qatar last month – are two of Ankara’s increasingly important economic partners. But Qatar is also Turkey’s closest strategic partner in the region, and Ankara has been aiding Doha during the boycott.
Mr Erdogan said on Friday that “political problems are temporary, whereas economic ties are permanent and I expect the investors from the Gulf countries to choose longterm ties”.
Ankara sped up troop deployments to its new base near Doha in the early stages of the crisis and has also sent air shipments of food and other commodities to make up for the loss of the country’s largest-volume trade links.
The quartet had demanded that Qatar close the Turkish base, and Ankara’s recently improved ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia have again been tested by Turkey’s close ties with Doha during the crisis.