Amid Gulf crisis, Erdogan to visit Qatar and Saudi

The crisis has put Turkey in a delicate position as Qatar is its main ally in the Gulf but Ankara does not want to antagonise key regional power Saudi Arabia.

Istanbul, Jul 18: Amid crisis between the Gulf nations and Qatar, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will this month visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan will also visit Kuwait, the main mediator in the Qatar crisis, during his July 23-24 tour.

Turkey is a key ally of Qatar, which has been diplomatically and economically isolated by its Gulf neighbours over allegations it supports terrorism. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain last month cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and issued 13 wide- ranging demands to lift the blockade, including the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

The crisis has put Turkey in a delicate position as Qatar is its main ally in the Gulf but Ankara does not want to antagonise key regional power Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Qatar earlier said the reported involvement of the United Arab Emirates in hacking its government news site in May is "unfortunate" and a breach of agreements among the Gulf countries.

The Washington Post, quoting unnamed US intelligence officials, reported Sunday that the UAE orchestrated the hacking and planted a false story that was used as a pretext for the crisis between Qatar and four Arab countries.

PTI