FM Çavuşoğlu holds phone call with Qatari, Saudi counterparts


Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Saturday held separate phone calls with his Qatari and Saudi counterparts and Qatari defense minister, shortly after Qatar disclosed the demands made by its neighbors weeks after they broke off ties with the Gulf country over its alleged support for terrorism.

On June 5, five Arab countries -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Yemen -- abruptly cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Doha, for its part, strenuously denies accusations that it supports terrorism, describing the attempts to isolate it as "unjustified".

Qatar said early Saturday it has received a list of demands by the four countries to end their blockade on the Gulf country.

According to foreign media, the 13-point list of demands includes the closure of Al Jazeera television, downgrading ties with Iran and extraditing "terrorists" as well as shutting the Turkish military base in Qatar down.

The four countries have given Doha a 10-day deadline to meet the demands.