Erdogan to make diplomatic push to defuse Saudi-Iranian dispute
Turkey's president is set to visit Russia, Kuwait and Qatar to seek a resolution of a crisis Turkey fears could engulf the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Russia, Kuwait and Qatar next week to press for a more robust diplomatic response to the escalating crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia that Turkey fears could unleash chaos throughout the region.
Moscow, which has long enjoyed close cooperation with Tehran, has also sought in recent months to improve ties with Riyadh. Kuwait’s neutral foreign policy has allowed it to push for a resolution of the months-long rupture between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Turkish newspapers said Erdogan will seek support for a solution as long-simmering tensions between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran threaten to erupt into a full-blown confrontation. Saudi Arabia accused Iran of an act of war following a missile strike from Yemen on Riyadh over the weekend. Iran denied launching the missile, which was intercepted.
Yemen and Syria are theaters of proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iraq and Lebanon are political battlefields and Saudi Arabia, joined by the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, cut diplomatic ties with and imposed a blockade on Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cozying up with Iran.
