Turkey President to Visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait amid Diplomatic Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia in July, which are locked in a deep diplomatic crisis, his office announced on Tuesday.
Erdogan will also visit Kuwait, the main mediator in the Qatar crisis, during his 23-24 July tour.
Turkey is a key ally of Qatar, which has been diplomatically and economically isolated by its Persian Gulf neighbors over allegations it supports terrorism, AFP reported.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain last month cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and issued 13 wide-ranging demands to lift the blockade, including the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.
The crisis has put Turkey in a delicate position as Qatar is its main ally in the Persian Gulf but Ankara does not want to antagonize key regional power Saudi Arabia.