Solving the Gulf crisis is a 2018 priority for Turkey

Turkey’s Foreign Minister said on Wednesday that his country would continue to support the search for a political solution to the crisis among the Gulf States, AlKhaleejonline.com has reported. It is, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told journalists in Ankara, a priority for 2018. He reiterated Turkey’s support for Kuwaiti mediation to end the crisis pitching Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE against Qatar.

The minister stressed that in 2018 Turkey will continue to use a foreign policy based on highlighting humanitarian values and support for the oppressed, wherever and whoever they are. When asked about Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, he said that Turkey considers itself to be its gateway to the outside world, and noted that the Kurdish administration hopes to improve relations with Ankara.

The Turkish government, he stressed, hopes to solve the current crisis through dialogue between the Kurdistan region and the central government in Baghdad. Turkey, he insisted, would never adopt any policy which could harm civilians.

“Indeed, Turkey will have an important role in solving the crisis,” said Çavuşoğlu, noting that both sides desire to end their differences. Ankara is ready to pay the support needed to achieve stability in Iraq. “We will not leave our Turkmen brothers in Iraq alone and we will continue supporting their existence in this country,” he added.

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