Independent – Bethan McKernan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Qatar for the third and final leg of his whistlestop diplomatic efforts to soothe tensions between the tiny Gulf state and its neighbours.
Mr Erdogan flew in to Doha on Monday afternoon from Kuwait, which has been leading mediation attempts between Qatar and a bloc consisting of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt.
The group of Arab countries – followed by a handful of other Muslim nations – abruptly cut off all diplomatic and trade ties with tiny Qatar on 5 June, alleging that the state interfered in the affairs of its neighbours and funded terror organisations. Qatar vehemently denies all the allegations against it, claiming the crisis is politically motivated.
Visits have already been paid by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsonand his US, German and French counterparts, all of whom are worried that the spat – which shows no sign of ending – could have long-lasting economic and security implications for the region, including coalition efforsts against Isis.
Turkey – which enjoys trade relations with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama – has also built up a warm relationship with Doha in recent years, and now maintains an army base in the country.
Mr Erdogan met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who repeated his government’s stance that his country is open to dialogue so long as Qatar’s sovereignty is respected. Doha has previously described a list of demands from its neighbours – including shuttering state-owned news outlet Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops – as unreasonable.
Turkey and Qatar announced plans to open Turkey’s first military base in the Persian Gulf in 2015. The base opened last year, and new troops have arrived since the Gulf rift erupted, raising fears of an escalation with the countries seeking to isolate it.
Mr Erdogan appears to have had a cool reception in Jeddah upon his arrival on Sunday. Brief statements carried by Saudi state media said that talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had focussed on bilateral counter terrorism efforts.
The UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Relations, Anwar al-Gargash, reiterated last week that Qatar must review its policies because repeating its previous positions only “deepens the crisis”.
