American newspaper: Doha plays the role of mediator to gather the Turkish president and the Saudi crown prince
The Wall Street Journal reported that Qatar is mediating talks between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, for a meeting between the Turkish president and the Saudi crown prince.
The newspaper, quoting private sources, said that Qatari officials prevented the gathering of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Doha last week, during their two-day visit to Qatar, without success.
Qatari officials are looking for the appropriate time and place to gather both parties in the coming weeks, according to the newspaper’s private sources.
The newspaper considered, “The success of Doha’s efforts to bring Erdogan and bin Salman together indicates an expected breakthrough in relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which divided the region for many years.”
The newspaper stated that the Qatari efforts come within the framework of diplomatic efforts to redraw policies in the Middle East, amid growing fears of the failure of international talks with Iran over its nuclear program and the decline of the US role in the region.
The Turkish president had announced earlier his country’s keenness to consolidate its relations with Saudi Arabia.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey are characterized by tension, and have intensified in recent years, especially after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz discussed in a phone call last May the consolidation of relations between the two countries.
