Turkish FM in Qatar visit amid Egypt split

DOHA

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (L) walks with his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah ahead of their meeting in Doha. AA Photo

Turkey’s foreign minister was in Doha on Jan. 20 to hold talks with Qatari leaders and put on a united front in the wake of the recent Qatari-Egyptian thaw, which seemed to mark a shift in the long-running foreign policy alignment of both countries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held talks with Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.

In December, Qatar announced its determination to mend its relations with Egypt, diverging from an agreement with Turkey over opposition to the Cairo government.

Doha's announcement came only a few days after it renewed commitments to forge even closer relations with Ankara. Ties between Ankara and Cairo have been strained since former army chief and current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi toppled the elected President Mohamed Morsi, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, after mass protests against the latter's rule.

Regional developments and bilateral relations were at the focus of Çavuşoğlu's talks with top Qatari officials, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Jan. 20, quoting diplomatic sources.