Gulf trip productive, will continue efforts - Erdogan: Qatar, Turkey to conduct military drill soon
24 July 2017News Agencies
The visit to the Gulf states as part of Ankara's diplomatic efforts to
overcome the recent crisis between the Saudi Arabia-led countries and Qatar
was "productive and successful" Presient Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday.
Speaking at theJustice and Development Party (AK Party) group meeting at
Parliament, Erdoğan said: "The visits were highly productive and successful.
The ongoing issues in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Palestine were on the table. We
discussed what we can do to overcome the Qatar crisis. Turkey is among the
very few countries that can actually talk to all sides."
He added that Turkey does not want tensions arising from "artificial problems"
between "brotherly countries" and that the diplomatic efforts to bring the
crisis to an end will continue. "Such tensions only affect the terrorist
groups and their supporters."
Erdoğan visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar on Sunday and Monday, during
which he urged the sides to continue dialogue through diplomatic channels and
called on Saudi Arabia to take a bigger role in reconciliation.
The crisis began on June 5, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
Bahrain, Egypt and several other states cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar
amid accusations that Doha funds terrorist groups. Turkey has been calling on
the parties to solve the issue through diplomacy and that both economic and
political sanctions would not serve the interests of the states involved.
Doha denies the allegations and says that any dialogue must first respect
Qatar's national sovereignty and lifting the blockades.
Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah has conditioned the
lifting of the blockade imposed on his country by four Arab states before
engaging in any dialogue with its neighbors.
"Lifting the siege should precede any dialogue," Attiyah said in an interview
with Russia Today, excerpts of which were published by Qatar's official news
agency on Tuesday.
"If the blockading countries remain reluctant to lift the siege, Qatar will be
compelled to resort to the available international legal procedures to lift
it," he said.
Qatar, Turkey to conduct military drill soon
Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah said that the emirate
will conduct a joint military drill with the United States and Turkey in the
coming days, and that the crisis has not affected ties with Washington.
"I have particularly put intensified efforts in establishing sustainable and
transparent ties with Turkey and the U.S. I do not think that the U.S. will
give up on Qatar in counterterrorism cooperation, as both countries are in a
state of being ally countries in anti-Daesh coalition. Qatar, Turkey and the
U.S. regularly conduct military drills in Qatar. In the near future a joint
drill will begin by the three countries," he said.
"U.S.-Qatari relations are strong," Attiyah added, also ruling out the
relocation of the Al-Udeid U.S. military base from Qatar.
Shortly after the four Arab states cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, U.S.
President Donald Trump appeared to take credit for the move.
"So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already
paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and
all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the
end to the horror of terrorism!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
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