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DOHA, July 24-- Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting on Monday to discuss ways to end the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf. Erdogan arrived from Kuwait on Monday at the last leg of his two-day Gulf tour, which had also taken him to Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The two leaders discussed the efforts being exerted to resolve the standoff between Qatar and the Saudi-led quartet through dialogue and diplomatic means, Qatar's state-run news agency QNA reported. They praised the mediation efforts made by Kuwait, which has been playing the role of mediator since the crisis began on June 5. The Saudi-led bloc, which also includes the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the rich Gulf nation, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. Qatar has strongly denied the charges. During their meeting, Erdogan and his Qatari counterpart discussed the Qatar-Turkey joint efforts in the fight against "terrorism and extremism", QNA reported. They also talked about enhancing strategic cooperation in the spheres of defence, trade and investment. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was accompanying Erdogan during the visit, said that Ankara was trying to organize direct talks between the two sides to end their feud. He said holding direct talks is "the most appropriate way" to resolve the crisis, adding that he hoped that there will be an opportunity for such talks soon. | 
