ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the Qatari crisis should be resolved before the Ramadan holiday starts on June 25.
The president made the statement in a closed-door meeting with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by Turkish media.
Erdogan voiced his resolve to end the Qatari crisis in a peaceful way, Cavusoglu said. Early this week, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties and imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Other countries including Libya, Yemen and the Maldives have followed suit.
On Thursday night, Erdogan ratified two deals on deploying Turkish troops to Qatar and training its gendarmerie after they were passed by Turkey’s parliament a day earlier.
On Friday, the president called for a lift of the blockade against Qatar.
Cavusoglu said Turkey’s military base in Qatar is aiming at the security of the Gulf region and does not specifically target any country. During the month-long Ramadan that ends on June 24, Muslims in Turkey and other countries go through annual fasting from sunrise until sunset. (Xinhua)