Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed his backing for Qatar in its dispute with other Gulf nations, saying Turkey would never leave the country isolated.
Delivering a speech at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in İstanbul, Erdoğan said Friday that Turkey would provide food and medicine to help Qatar ease its isolation despite the other nations "displeasure."
"They declare foundations established to provide different services as terror organisations. Something like this should not happen. I know those foundations. Until today I have not witnessed Qatar give support to terror," Erdoğan said in İstanbul.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday urged Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to ease their blockade, saying it was causing unintended humanitarian consequences and affecting the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State.
Referring to Tillerson's comments on the blockade, Erdoğan said: "I say it should be lifted completely". "I have a request to the Saudi administration: you are the biggest in the Gulf, the strongest... not with hostilities, you should be the leader of the fraternity there, you should bring everyone together," Erdoğan said.
"There are those who are uncomfortable with us standing by our Qatari brothers, providing them with food. I'm sorry, we will continue to give Qatar every kind of support. Until now I have not seen Qatar give support to terror," he added.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other states broke off relations on Monday over what they say is the emirate's financing of extremist groups as well as its ties to Iran, Riyadh's regional arch-rival.
