President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken by phone with the leaders of Qatar, Russia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on easing the latest Qatar diplomatic crisis with Gulf countries, presidential sources said late on June 5.
“The importance of regional peace and stability was underlined in the talks, as well as the importance of focusing on the path of diplomacy and dialogue to lower the current tension,” the sources said in a statement.
A group of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich Gulf country of supporting extremism, while a number of regional and global actors, including Turkey and the U.S., called for dialogue to resolve the dispute.
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives joined the duo in severing relations with gas-rich Qatar, accusing Doha of harboring “terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to destabilize the region including the Muslim Brotherhood, Daesh [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – ISIL] and al-Qaeda.”
After the talks between Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said both leaders called for dialogue and compromise.
“The two presidents discussed the developments around Qatar and called on all interested countries to engage in dialogue with a view to reaching a compromise for the sake of preserving peace and stability in the Persian Gulf area,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“It was emphasized that the grave crisis in the Middle East requires well-orchestrated efforts and close coordination of the international community in fighting the terrorist threat,” it added.
Both leaders also agreed to continue joint efforts to facilitate a settlement in Syria, in part by implementing the agreements on de-escalation zones as soon as possible as well as bilateral cooperation, restoring Russian-Turkish trade and economic ties and implementing the Turkish Stream project, according to the Kremlin.
The president also spoke with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and the emirs of Qatar and Kuwait.
The sources said Erdoğan would continue his contacts on the issue.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş stressed Ankara’s effort to find a solution by opening up all diplomatic channels with Doha.
“Our president, who is also the term president of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC], has actively been involved in the process for the resolution of the problem by holding bilateral phone calls with a number of heads of states, some Islam and some Western countries,” Kurtulmuş told reporters after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
“As Turkey, we will discharge every responsibility for our part,” he added.
In a separate written statement by the Turkish presidency, presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said Ankara accepted the sanction decision against Qatar with sorrow, noting that the problem should be resolved through dialogue.
“The relationship between the countries in the region should be evaluated on the grounds of unity rather than baseless news,” Kalın said.
“As Turkey, we are ready to do our part,” he added.