Erdogan visits Doha in attempt to resolve Qatari crisis
By Kamila Aliyeva
Turkey which plays an important role and enjoys authority in the Islamic world plans to take advantage of this and try to resolve the crisis in the Persian Gulf.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 24 arrived in Doha - the last destination in his Gulf tour aimed at resolving difficult situation around Qatar that also included Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
He is scheduled to hold talks with the Emir, on the Gulf crisis and bilateral relations.
The Turkish leader is accompanied by a high-profile delegation which includes Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak, Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli, Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Hakan Fidan.
Earlier, Erdogan has held talks with leaders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of his efforts to find solution to the regional crisis. During these meetings, ways to combat extremism and related financing were high on agenda, however, the details of the talks were not revealed.
Ahead of his flight to Saudi Arabia Turkish President stated that no one has any interest in prolonging this crisis anymore. He accused "enemies" of seeking to "fire up tensions between brothers" in the region.
Erdogan praised Qatar's behavior in the crisis, saying it aims at finding solution through dialogue and expressed hope that the visit will be beneficial for the regional stability.
He has previously called for an early settlement of this crisis and stated that the confrontation does not fit the Islamic world, and all issues can be resolved through dialogue. In this regard, Erdogan drew attention to the position of Saudi Arabia calling Riyadh "the key to solving the current crisis in the Persian Gulf."
International efforts to resolve the crisis, including U.S. involvement, have failed.
Since the first day of the crisis, Turkey has been trying with all its efforts to settle the conflict by sending troops to Qatar and supplying food to help the small Gulf nation.
Qatar has strategic importance for Turkey which established a military base in the oil-rich nation after a 2014 agreement. As many as 1,000 soldiers could be stationed there.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain in early June cut off diplomatic relations, severed air, land and sea links with Qatar, accusing the latter of supporting terrorism, and ordered Qatari citizens to leave their countries within two weeks.
In early July, the Arab states sent a list of demand and required Doha to cut diplomatic relations with Iran, close the Turkish military base, eliminate Al-Jazeera TV channel, extradite all persons wanted in four countries on charges of terrorism and pay compensation. Doha refused to fulfill these requirements calling the list unrealistic and not actionable.
On July 19, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt reduced the list of requirements for Qatar and urged Doha to commit to six common 'principles' on combating "extremism" and "terrorism", and to negotiate a plan with specific measures to implement them without a specific time-frame.
These principles include commitment to combat extremism and terrorism in all their forms and to prevent their financing, suspending all acts of provocation and speeches inciting hatred or violence, full compliance with the Riyadh Agreement of 2013, adherence to all the outcomes of the Arab Islamic American Summit held in May 2017, and refraining from interference in the internal affairs of states.
Kuwait acts as the main mediator in the crisis.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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