Turkish President in Persian Gulf Region amid Qatar Crisis

Erdogan was greeted by a number of Saudi officials upon his arrival at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.
 
The Turkish leader separately met with Saudi King Salman and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
 
The two-day trip to the Persian Gulf is seen as an effort to help resolve the dispute between Qatar and four Saudi-led regimes.
 
"No-one has any interest in prolonging this crisis any more," Erdogan said at Istanbul airport before leaving.
 
He accused "enemies" of seeking to "fire up tensions between brothers" in the region.
 
Erdogan praised Qatar's behavior in the crisis, saying it had sought to find a solution through dialogue.
 
"I hope our visit will be beneficial for the region," he said.
 
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with neighboring Iran. Doha denies the claim and has been strongly backed by Ankara throughout the standoff.
 
The four countries imposed an air, sea and land blockade on Doha last month.
 
They also issued a list of 13 demands that included closure of a newly-opened Turkish military base.
 
Erdogan has said the demands are unlawful and has called for an end to the crisis, citing the need for Muslim solidarity and strong trade ties in the region.
 
On Friday, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called for dialogue to resolve the crisis but stressed that any talks must respect his country's sovereignty.