Turkish leader meets Qatari counterpart over Gulf dispute
24 July 2017
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Turkey’s president has arrived in Qatar on the final leg of a Gulf tour aimed at forging a resolution to the diplomatic standoff gripping the nation and four fellow Arab countries.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived on Monday from Kuwait, which has been mediating the dispute. He earlier met with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, which leads an anti-Qatar bloc that includes the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.
The quartet cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar in early June, accusing it of supporting extremists. Qatar strongly denies the allegation and sees the dispute as politically motivated.
Erdogan met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has said Qatar is open to dialogue so long as it respects Qatar’s sovereignty.
