Egypt’s Sisi: Boycott against Qatar should include Turkey

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi urged Gulf leaders to expand the diplomatic spat with Qatar to include Turkey.

Sisi suggested the Gulf expand the boycott to include Ankara until Turkey stops supporting Qatar, according to the New Arab news outlet.

The Egyptian president said boycotting Turkey would increase the pressure on Qatar, forcing Doha to positively respond to the demands of the Gulf.

Sisi made the suggestion at a meeting last Thursday in Cairo with the king of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, and reportedly accused Turkey of funding and hosting terrorist groups.

The suggestion has received no response from the Gulf nations. Egypt’s push to include Turkey in the boycott follows after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the regime for overthrowing the first democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi in a military coup.

Turkey is working to resolve the Qatar crisis through diplomacy. Turkish government officials have been pushing for a peaceful solution to the Qatar row.