Erdoğan says Turkey will try to solve problems between Gulf states

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday that Turkey would do its best to solve problems between the "brothers of the Gulf region" as he prepared to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar on July 23-24.

Erdoğan has been a staunch ally of Qatar in its dispute with its neighbours. He has criticised a list of demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to end sanctions they imposed on Doha last month over allegations Qatar funds terrorist groups and is allied to their arch-foe Iran.

In a speech in Istanbul, Erdoğan said the political problems were temporary and he called on Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states to invest in Turkey.