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Agencies
ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will embark on a two-day Gulf tour starting on Sunday as part of his efforts to resolve the crisis in the region.
His first stop will be in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, during which he will meet Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud.
Erdogan will then depart for Kuwait to meet Emir Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, who has led mediation efforts to resolve the crisis. His next stop will be Doha, where he will meet the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.
Erdogan had earlier said that the demands by the countries which imposed a siege on Qatar were unlawful and called for an end to the crisis, citing the need for Muslim solidarity and strong trade ties in the region.
"We will work until the end for the resolution of the dispute between the brotherly nations of the region," he said in comments after prayers on Friday."Political problems are temporary, whereas economic ties are permanent, and I expect the investors from Gulf countries to choose long-term ties."
The UAE was Turkey's seventh-largest export market last year, worth $5.4 billion, while Saudi Arabia was No 11 and Egypt was No 13, according to official data. Turkey also wants to sell defence equipment to the Saudis.
"There has been diplomatic traffic before this visit. There have been high-level talks," a Turkish official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity."There is a climate in which some concrete steps can be taken."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said recently at a joint press conference with Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani in Ankara that a solution to the Gulf crisis"could come in the medium term".
On demands for closure of the Turkish military base in Qatar, Cavusoglu pointed to the US military base there, saying:"There is no such dispute with the Americans, nor do they object to it. This [Turkish base] is a deal between two sovereign countries. The Gulf demands violate sovereignty."
He described a recent Qatari deal with the US as"prudent" and said,"It shows that they are open to dialogue."
Cavusoglu emphasised that Turkey supports Kuwaiti mediation efforts to resolve the crisis.
Qatari Foreign Minister said the Turkish military base in Qatar is based on deals between two countries and that no other country has the right to raise objection to it.
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23/07/2017
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