Erdogan, Trump talk amid dispute over arms to Kurd fighters

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday regarding the diplomatic isolation of Qatar by its Gulf neighbors, whose demands include the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off economic and diplomatic ties with Qatar earlier this month and issued an ultimatum with 13 demands, accusing Doha of supporting extremist groups. Qatar denies the claims.
The White House said Trump and Erdogan spoke about ways to overcome the crisis “while ensuring that all countries work to stop terrorist funding and to combat extremist ideology.”
“President Trump emphasized the importance of all our allies and partners increasing their efforts to fight terrorism and extremism in all its forms,” the White House statement added.
Ankara, which has close ties with Doha but also maintains good relations with other Gulf states, is seeking to mediate the crisis.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s defense minister held talks with his Turkish counterpart on Friday.
Turkish Defense Ministry officials said Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah met with his Turkey’s counterpart Fikri Isik in Ankara, but did not provide details.
Turkey shipped supplies to Doha to help ease its isolation and swiftly ratified military agreements with Qatar, allowing the deployment of soldiers to its base.