KUWAIT CITY — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday began a key trip to the Gulf aimed at defusing the stand-off over Turkey’s ally Qatar, saying no one had an interest in prolonging the crisis.

Erdogan, whose country has come to Qatar’s aid in the dispute, had talks in Jeddah with King Salman who hailed the Turkish leader’s “efforts in the fight against terrorism and its financing”, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

He also met Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman before leaving for Kuwait for the second leg of his tour.

Erdogan was received by Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who has been mediating to resolve the crisis.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran.

Doha denies the claim and has been strongly backed by Ankara throughout the stand-off.

The Turkish president will visit Qatar on Monday for his first face-to-face talks with Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani since the crisis began.

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