Turkish president wades into gulf diplomatic rift
KUWAIT CITY — Turkey’s president entered the diplomatic crisis gripping Qatar and four other Arab nations Sunday, traveling to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of a three-country gulf tour intended to help break the impasse.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the fifth high-level visitor from outside the gulf to try to resolve the dispute since it erupted on June 5. The top diplomats of Britain, France, Germany and the United States all have been through already, underscoring the depth of concern the crisis is causing well beyond the region.
Erdogan faces a tougher challenge in securing a breakthrough than Turkey’s NATO allies because of the increasingly warm ties, including the deployment of military forces, it has built with Qatar in recent years. While members of the anti-Qatar quartet have strong trade links with Turkey, its closeness to Qatar raises suspicions of its motives.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties and transport links with Qatar in early June, accusing it of supporting extremists. Qatar strongly denies the allegation and sees the dispute as politically motivated.
The four countries insisted Qatar accept a tough 13-point list of demands to end the rift, including shutting down news outlets including Al Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country. Qatar refused, arguing that the demands were an effort to undermine its sovereignty. The antiQatar quartet has shown little sign of backing down.
Erdogan began his trip in Saudi Arabia, the gulf ’s political and economic heavyweight. During his visit to the Red Sea city of Jeddah, he held talks with King Salman and his presumed heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.