Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Bahrain to end a crisis with Qatar before the Eid al-Fitr, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Saturday, CNNTürk reported.
Erdoğan met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa in İstanbul on Saturday. Çavuşoğlu also attended the meeting.
Al Khalifa visited Turkey amid a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar.
Çavuşoğlu said Turkey would continue diplomatic efforts for a peaceful solution of the crisis in the Gulf. He also said Turkish troops are being deployed to Qatar for the security of entire Gulf and not against any specific country.
On Friday, Erdoğan said Turkey would continue to give all sorts of support to Qatar, saying that Saudi Arabia should be on the side of fraternity, not enmity.
Regarding the deal that he ratified late on June 8 on deploying Turkish troops to Qatar and training the Gulf nation’s gendarmerie forces, Erdoğan maintained: “The deal with Qatar is not an issue of today. It is a process of two or three years. We had to approve it in Parliament today. I am calling on friends in the Gulf. Why aren’t you uncomfortable with the American base in Qatar? There are bases of other countries as well. Why do they not disturb you? In fact, I proposed creating military bases in the countries that are uncomfortable today. They told me then that they would evaluate it. But they are uncomfortable today.”
Criticizing a joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE that placed 59 individuals and 12 organizations — Qatar-based or funded by Qatar — on a “terror list,” Erdoğan added: “They said some foundations were established in Qatar for different purposes. That cannot happen. I know those foundations. I have never witnessed Qatar giving support to terrorism.”
“I would like to kindly ask the Saudi authorities: You are the biggest and the strongest in the Gulf. We called you the “servant of the holy places.” You should be the crown of fraternity, not enmity. That is what suits Saudi Arabia. That is our right to expect [from Saudi Arabia].”