Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday (December 6th) that he wanted to develop Ankara's relations "
without distinction
" with the Gulf countries, before taking off for a two-day visit to Qatar.
"
We will continue to develop our relations with our Gulf brothers, without any distinction, within the framework of our common interests and mutual respect
," said the Turkish head of state at a press conference in Istanbul. before taking off for Doha.
"
We welcome the reopening of dialogue and diplomatic efforts to avoid misunderstandings in the Gulf region
," he added.
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The Turkish head of state welcomed Abu Dhabi's crown prince Mohammed ben Zayed Al-Nahyane known as MBZ to Ankara in November, opening a new chapter in relations between yesterday's regional rivals.
This first meeting since 2012 aimed to iron out the many differences between the two leaders who aspire to a regional role.
"Solidarity is restored between the Gulf countries"
After the abortive coup d'état of July 2016, President Erdogan accused MBZ of being one of the instigators, calling him "
Turkey's worst enemy
".
Ties deteriorated further in 2017 during the blockade of Qatar, a close ally of Ankara, decreed by Saudi Arabia and followed by the Emirates.
Ankara supported Doha during the blockade and the two countries have since moved closer.
“
The blockade and the sanctions imposed on Qatar have been lifted since the beginning of this year. At present, solidarity is restored between the Gulf countries
, ”said Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish president also announced that he would pay a visit to Abu Dhabi in February. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke on Monday with his Qatari counterpart before President Erdogan's arrival in Doha.
Afghanistan and the management of Kabul airport were among the topics of discussion, the Turkish minister announced.
“
Qatar and Turkey are constantly working with the interim government in Afghanistan to reach an agreement to operate the airport,
” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told reporters.
