Erdoğan: Gulf tour, an important step to establish a climate of security

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has arrived in Ankara following a two-day Gulf tour that included stops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, after he held “productive” meetings with Arab leaders in a bid to find a solution to the ongoing Qatar crisis, which were later described by Erdoğan as “an important step to establish a climate of security and stability in the region”.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received President Erdoğan at the International Hamad Airport in the capital Doha, accompanied by Turkey’s Ambassador to Qatar Fikret Özer and several other officials.

Erdoğan held a one-on-one meeting with the Qatari Emir that lasted for approximately two-and-half hours as the two countries’ respective delegations also carried out separate meetings.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 4, accusing Doha of supporting "extremism" and their regional ally Iran - charges that Qatar has repeatedly denied.

President Erdoğan later attended a lunch in his honor in al-Wajbah Palace where he met with the Emir’s father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani.

The two leaders discussed several issues during the nearly-one hour long meeting, including latest developments concerning the ongoing Qatar crisis and the steps taken towards resolving it.

Erdoğan arrived in Turkey later in the evening and held a press meeting at the airport in Ankara, where he proclaimed the visits as “very successful,” noting that he carried out consultations during the meetings held during the two-day tour with regards to what needs to be done in order to resolve the Qatar crisis.

“I believe our last visits and meetings constitute an important step towards establishing a climate of stability and mutual security. I conveyed to King Salman during our meeting in Saudi Arabia the great expectations we hold for him to solve this crisis. The visit was also an opportunity for us to hold meetings with crown prince Muhammad bin Salman. We also discussed bilateral and regional matters with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah. We evaluated the possibility of further advancing our economic and commercial cooperation. We also expressed to Sheikh Sabah our readiness to support Kuwait’s mediation efforts in the Gulf Crisis, “ stated Erdoğan.

Qatar was the last stop in Erdoğan’s two-day Gulf tour where the Turkish president held “extremely productive” meetings with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim.

“We are pleased by the operations carried out by the High Strategic Committee that we established on the presidential level. We both emphasized our will to continue bilateral dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. I conveyed to Emir Sheikh Tamim my admiration for the level-headed approach he displayed for the duration of the crisis. I want to stress the need to protect Qatar’s sovereign right as a country. We used the opportunity also to discuss regional matters during our talks, “ concluded Erdoğan.