Turkish foreign minister meets Gulf envoys in Ankara

By Meltem Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - The foreign minister held a joint meeting with Saudi Arabian, Bahraini and Emirati envoys in the capital Ankara on Monday amid the escalating Gulf crisis, according to a Turkish diplomatic source.

The meeting comes after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen cut ties with Qatar last week over claims that it supports terrorism in the region.

The recent developments in the Gulf crisis topped the meeting, the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

The meeting was between Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Saudi Ambassador Waleed A. Elkhereiji, Emirati Ambassador Khalifa Shahee Almarar and Bahrain’s Acting Ambassador Komail Ahmed, the source said.

Cavusoglu had raised concerns of Turkey and expectations from the international community over the crisis at the meeting; he also mentioned the contacts he made to resolve the issue, the source added.