Kuwait City: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday began a key trip to the Gulf aimed at defusing the standoff over Qatar, saying no one had an interest in prolonging the crisis.
Erdogan had talks in Jeddah with King Salman who hailed the Turkish leader’s “efforts in the fight against terrorism and its financing,” Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
He also met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before leaving for Kuwait for the second leg of his tour.
Erdogan was received by the Kuwaiti Amir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who has been mediating to resolve the crisis.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with Iran.
The Turkish president will visit Qatar today for his first face-to-face talks with Amir Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani since the crisis began.
“As the elder statesman in the Gulf region, Saudi Arabia has a big role to play in solving the crisis,” said Erdogan. He also said he supported the mediation efforts of the Kuwaiti Amir.
Erdogan’s tour coincides with a visit to Kuwait by EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, who held talks yesterday with Kuwaiti officials.
Mogherini paid tribute to Kuwait’s “relentless mediation efforts” in the dispute and called for a resolution “through dialogue and without delay”.