*Turkish President embarks on Gulf tour on Sunday
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan heads to the Gulf on Sunday in an attempt to patch up the rift between Qatar and its neighbours, who have cut ties and imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Doha denies the charges.
"There has been diplomatic traffic before this visit. There have been high-level talks," a Turkish official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There is a climate in which some concrete steps can be taken."
On Friday, Qatar's Emir called for dialogue to resolve the crisis, saying that any talks most respect national sovereignty.
In his first speech since the ties were severed, His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani described his country as facing an unjust "siege".
That is a sentiment that Erdogan firmly shares.
"Qatar is being hard done by," the Turkish official said. "It is important for the whole region to eliminate this injustice."
Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar during the two-day trip that starts on Sunday.
In what has become the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years, the neighbours have since issued more than a dozen demands, telling Qatar to close down Al Jazeera television, curb relations with Iran and shutter a Turkish military base.
Erdogan has said the demands are unlawful and has called for an end to the crisis, citing the need for Muslim solidarity and strong trade ties in the region.
"We will work until the end for the solution of the dispute between the brotherly nations of the region," he said in comments after prayers on Friday. "Political problems are temporary, whereas economic ties are permanent, and I expect the investors from Gulf countries to choose long-term ties."
The UAE was Turkey's seventh-largest export market last year, worth $5.4 bn, while Saudi Arabia was No. 11 and Egypt was No. 13, according to official data. Turkey also wants to sell defence equipment to the Saudis.
"This visit, in a way, would help to demonstrate that despite its positioning as a firm backer of Doha, Turkey still has the ability to dialogue with the other countries at the highest level, primarily Saudi Arabia," said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and an analyst at Carnegie Europe.
The dispute has so far proven intractable and Erdogan has said Saudi Arabia should solve the crisis.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shuttled between Gulf countries but left without any firm signs the feud would be resolved soon. On Friday, Tillerson said he was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to implement an agreement to combat terrorist financing, and urged Arab states to lift the "land blockade".
Doha denies the charges.
"There has been diplomatic traffic before this visit. There have been high-level talks," a Turkish official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There is a climate in which some concrete steps can be taken."
On Friday, Qatar's Emir called for dialogue to resolve the crisis, saying that any talks most respect national sovereignty.
In his first speech since the ties were severed, His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani described his country as facing an unjust "siege".
That is a sentiment that Erdogan firmly shares.
"Qatar is being hard done by," the Turkish official said. "It is important for the whole region to eliminate this injustice."
Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar during the two-day trip that starts on Sunday.
In what has become the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years, the neighbours have since issued more than a dozen demands, telling Qatar to close down Al Jazeera television, curb relations with Iran and shutter a Turkish military base.
Erdogan has said the demands are unlawful and has called for an end to the crisis, citing the need for Muslim solidarity and strong trade ties in the region.
"We will work until the end for the solution of the dispute between the brotherly nations of the region," he said in comments after prayers on Friday. "Political problems are temporary, whereas economic ties are permanent, and I expect the investors from Gulf countries to choose long-term ties."
The UAE was Turkey's seventh-largest export market last year, worth $5.4 bn, while Saudi Arabia was No. 11 and Egypt was No. 13, according to official data. Turkey also wants to sell defence equipment to the Saudis.
"This visit, in a way, would help to demonstrate that despite its positioning as a firm backer of Doha, Turkey still has the ability to dialogue with the other countries at the highest level, primarily Saudi Arabia," said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and an analyst at Carnegie Europe.
The dispute has so far proven intractable and Erdogan has said Saudi Arabia should solve the crisis.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shuttled between Gulf countries but left without any firm signs the feud would be resolved soon. On Friday, Tillerson said he was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to implement an agreement to combat terrorist financing, and urged Arab states to lift the "land blockade".
