Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans Gulf trip

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar

Backdropped by a painting depicting Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chairs the National Security Council meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, July 17, 2017. Erdogan says the country's top security advisory body will discuss on Monday whether to further extend a state of emergency that was declared after last year's failed coup. Erdogan also said he would approve "without any hesitation" any legislation that would be passed in parliament to reinstate the death penalty. (Presidency Press Service Pool Photo via AP)
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Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to begin a two-day Gulf tour on July 23 in a bid to diffuse tensions between Qatar and the Arab countries boycotting it.

Turkey’s presidency said that Mr Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait — which has been playing a mediatory role after four Arab countries cut all diplomatic and transport ties with Doha.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt are boycotting Doha over accusations it was funding terrorist and extremist groups. Qatar denies the accusations.

Mr Erdogan threw his weight behind Qatar in its dispute with its neighbours and criticised the list of demands by the four countries to end the sanctions on Doha.

The demands stipulate that Qatar close a Turkish military base, stop its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shut down its state-owned Al Jazeera network and downgrade its relation with Iran.