Turkish president hosts Qatari emir amid renewed Gulf tensions

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held talks in Turkey on Monday with his chief ally, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as tensions again surged between the emirate and its regional foes, AFP reports. The talks were announced only hours in advance and took place at Erdogan’s presidential palace in Ankara, according to the Turkish presidency. Erdogan has been a major supporter of Doha in the crisis that has left Qatar diplomatically and economically isolated. On June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt cut ties with Qatar. The latest meeting between the leaders of Turkey and Qatar came as the UAE accused Qatar of “intercepting” two Emirati passenger planes en route to Bahrain.