Qatar's Emir to meet President Erdogan in Turkey

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim will travel to Turkey on Thursday to meet President Erdogan in his first trip abroad since the start of the Saudi-led Gulf crisis.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

14 September, 2017

Qatar's Sheikh Tamim is making his first trip abroad since the Gulf rift [AFP]

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will visit Turkey on Thursday to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his first trip abroad since the start of the Gulf crisis.

Sheikh Tamim will hold talks on "bilateral ties and regional issues as well as international developments", Turkey's presidential office said in a statement.

Wednesday marked 100 days since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut diplomatic ties and imposed an economic blockade on Qatar, accusing it of backing "extremism" and fostering ties with their rival Iran.

Doha has denied the allegations and has been strongly backed by Ankara throughout the standoff.

Turkey has sent hundreds of cargo planes and trucks carrying food and medicine to Qatar to help the emirate meet its daily needs. The first Turkish ship was sent to Doha in June.

Ankara has a military base in Qatar and deployed more troops after the hostilities erupted. The closure of the Turkish base was one of 13 conditions demanded by the Saudi-led bloc.

After visiting Turkey, Qatar's leader will visit Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.