Erdogan arrives in Jeddah on 1st leg of Gulf tour

Turkish president's two-day tour also includes Kuwait and Qatar

By Ilkay Guder

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived Sunday in the Saudi city of Jeddah on the first leg of his Gulf tour that will also include Kuwait and Qatar.

Erdogan was greeted by a number of Saudi officials upon his arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The Turkish leader is scheduled to meet with Saudi King Salman and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his stay.

Erdogan is accompanied by a high-profile delegation that includes Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak, National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli, Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar and National Intelligence Agency (MIT) Chief Hakan Fidan.

The visit comes amid a Gulf crisis after four Arab states -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt -- cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the tiny Gulf country, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.

Doha, for its part, denies the accusation and describes the blockade as a violation of international law.

Kaynak:

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