Ankara urges Gulf countries to end Qatar crisis before Eid al-fitr

Sevil Erkuş - ANKARA

AA photo

Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu has met with the diplomatic envoys of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in Ankara as part of efforts to solve an ongoing crisis between the Gulf States and Qatar.

Foreign Ministry sources told Hürriyet Daily News that Çavuşoğlu conveyed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s message that the ongoing row in the Gulf should be resolved before Eid al-fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Ahead of a cabinet meeting on June 12 where the government discussed the current state of the Qatar crisis, Çavuşoğlu met with Saudi Ambassador to Ankara Walid Bin Abdul Karim El Khereiji, UAE Ambassador Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar and Charge D’affairs of Bahraini Embassy Komail Ahmed. 

Ankara is currently in efforts to ease the embargo on Qatar and to end the crisis before Eid al-fitr, the sources said. 

Turkey and Iran have been providing food and water supplies to the gas-rich country after the Arab countries cut links with it, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Saudi Arabia has also closed its land borders with Qatar, geographically isolating the Gulf state.

The Arab countries that have moved against Doha have called on their citizens living in Qatar to return, warning them that they would be stripped of their citizenship if they do not obey.

Saudi Arabia is taking steps to ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade against Qatar by taking care of “humanitarian cases of the Saudi-Qatari joint families” after cases of forced repatriation.  

Turkey hosted Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa on June 10 for discussions on the crisis.