Turkish President extols Kuwait's mediation in Gulf crisis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his support for Kuwait's efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis. Hurriyet Daily News quoted the president as saying upon his arrival from the G-20 summit in Hamburg that Kuwait was playing the role of mediator in the matter, adding that he would embark on a Gulf tour to contribute to the resumption of dialogue between the two sides.

"We are planning to visit Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia specifically in a diplomatic tour after July 15," he said, marking the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt. He said he discussed the Gulf crisis with his US and Russian counterparts Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and assured all the leaders he met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit the need to find a solution to the crisis through dialogue.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia highly appreciated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his sincere efforts seeking to solve the Gulf crisis. The Saudi cabinet met yesterday under chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, who thanked His Highness the Amir's keenness on the Gulf and Arab unity, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Several Arab and foreign countries have reiterated support to His Highness the Amir's meditation efforts.

The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Kuwait yesterday for talks with senior officials on the efforts to settle the Gulf 'row'. Tillerson's visit is part of a Gulf tour that also includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Recently, Kuwait has been the destination of the UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and the UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey D Feltman, with the GCC situation featuring high on the agenda of their talks with senior state officials. - KUNA