Turkish economy minister to accompany FM on Qatar visit

Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci will accompany Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu on his visit to Qatar on Wednesday amid the diplomatic row in the Gulf region.

"We will spend the night in Qatar with meetings and a working program. We will come back as earliest as possible," Zeybekci said.

The economy minister's visit comes after five Arab countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar last week, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.

"We do not accept this sanction imposed on Qatar during Ramadan. We are ready to do our best to meet the needs of Qatar. The needs of our Qatari brothers have been fulfilled with a high level of performance so far," Zeybekci said.

Zeybekci also indicated he would meet officials from Booking.com on June 22, to discuss its activities.

On March 29, an Istanbul court ordered the suspension in Turkey of the activities of the leading online travel agency, citing accusations of unfair competition, following a lawsuit filed by the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB).

Booking.com can still be used outside Turkey to book hotels in the country.