Turkey's FM: Qatar row should be solved peacefully

By Halil Ibrahim Beser

ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday supported a peaceful solution to Qatar row and said Turkey would continue to take “constructive” steps over the resolution of the crisis.

“President Erdogan stressed that this tragic event -contradicting our religion, belief and traditions- should be resolved before the holy month of Ramadan ends while he emphasized his sadness over the crisis,” said Cavusoglu who spoke at a joint news conference with his Bahraini counterpart Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa in Istanbul.

“We, as Turkey, will pursue our constructive efforts to resolve this crisis because we see the stability and security in Gulf region as our own. We regard the threats against the Gulf region as they are against us,” he added.

On the stance of Bahrain against Qatar crisis, Shaikh Al Khalifa said Qatar should change its policy and reach a conclusion with his country.

Late on Thursday, a joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE accused 59 individuals and 12 charity organizations in Qatar of being “linked to terror”.

Qatar hit back on Friday in a Foreign Ministry statement which described the accusations as “baseless” and “slanderous”.

Cavusoglu also said no country in the Gulf region should regard the deal concerning Turkey's setting up a base in Qatar as against itself.

On Wednesday, Turkey’s parliament ratified two deals on deploying troops to Qatar and training the Gulf nation's gendarmerie.

The deal to deploy Turkish troops in Qatar, aimed at improving the country's army and boosting military cooperation, was signed in April 2016 in Doha.

Cavusoglu said the aim of the base in Qatar is to contribute to the security and stability of all Gulf countries.

''This agreement does not target any country in the Gulf region,” he added.

Shaikh Al Khalifa confirmed Cavusoglu saying the base was set up for the security of the countries in Gulf region and it has no relation to Qatar crisis.

Earlier in the day, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also received Al Khalifa at Huber Palace.