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Doha Urges Gulf Resolution, Erdogan Justifies Troop Deployment in Qatar | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a fast-breaking iftar dinner in Ankara, Turkey, June 6, 2017. (Reuters)


Moscow, Ankara, London – While Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain welcomed US President Donald Trump’s statements on the importance of Qatar halting its support of terrorism, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani asserted that the Gulf Cooperation Council is the most appropriate venue for resolving the crises.

He added that the discord is solved by dialogue, emphasizing that the GCC is the best place for such talks.

The Qatari response was declared during a joint conference by the Qatari foreign minister and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.

Lavrov called on Saturday for dialogue between Qatar and the countries boycotting it, offering his country’s mediation in the crisis. He urged settling any discord through dialogue.

He said that Mscow is “ready to try to do everything in its power” to help resolve the crisis and added that unity is needed to fight terrorism. “For us, unity is clearly necessary for maximum effect on this front,” he said.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and urged that the dispute be resolved by the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Turkish president held discussions with the Bahraini foreign minister for around an hour, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The purpose of the troop deployment in the Turkish military base in Qatar “is to help foster security and stability across the Gulf,” Cavusoglu said.

He added that Turkey would continue its efforts to resolve the dispute as Qatar faces isolation imposed by fellow Arab states over its alleged support for terrorism.