I emir Qatar around Europe to make country situation known after embargo
Turkey supports the mediation initiative launched by Kuwait, and together with Iran it is one of the few countries that has sided with Qatar after the boycott initiated by the four Arab states that accuse Doha of supporting terrorism and interfering in internal affairs of the states of the region. On 7 June, the Turkish parliament approved a bill that allows Ankara to deploy troops to the base in Qatar set up in 2016 and which houses 600 soldiers. In recent months, Qatar and Turkey, in addition to having increased trade relations following the boycott of the Gulf countries, have strengthened relations in the military field, organizing in August a series of land and naval exercises in which they soon took part. 250 military personnel, 30 Turkish armored vehicles and the Turkish frigate TCG Gokova.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamed al Thani, in the meantime has concluded a tour of visits to Europe that took him first to Turkey, then to Germany and finally to France. The emir was received in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron. The latter expressed his full support for Doha in the crisis with other Arab countries, asking that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Bahrain end the "diplomatic embargo" against Qatar. "We ask that the measures taken against the people of Qatar be canceled because they particularly affect families and students," Macron said quoted in a French presidency statement. The emir's visit to Paris came after the one in Berlin where on Friday 15 September he had an interview with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, which covered among other things the diplomatic crisis with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Bahrain. During the joint press conference, the emir said that "Doha is ready to sit behind a table to discuss the crisis with the hope of reaching a solution that satisfies everyone". The Emir of Qatar added that "the differences with other Arab countries are on the definition of terrorism". For her part, Merkel stressed that Germany “does not take sides with anyone in the Gulf crisis. We are also in constant contact with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and we are worried about the continuation of this crisis with Qatar, ”Merkel said. According to reports from the Turkish daily “Hurriyet”, however, Erdogan and Al Thani stressed the need to reach a diplomatic solution to overcome the crisis that has affected Doha and some Arab states for over three months. On Tuesday 12 September, Erdogan received the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdelrahman Al Thani, to discuss with him the developments of the current crisis and its consequences for the region. Qatar's chief of diplomacy also met with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, but no statement was released at the end of the talks.