The visit to the Gulf states as part of Ankara's diplomatic efforts to overcome the recent crisis between the Saudi Arabia-led countries and Qatar was "productive and successful" Presient Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday.

Speaking at theJustice and Development Party (AK Party) group meeting at Parliament, Erdoğan said: "The visits were highly productive and successful. The ongoing issues in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Palestine were on the table. We discussed what we can do to overcome the Qatar crisis. Turkey is among the very few countries that can actually talk to all sides."

He added that Turkey does not want tensions arising from "artificial problems" between "brotherly countries" and that the diplomatic efforts to bring the crisis to an end will continue. "Such tensions only affect the terrorist groups and their supporters."

Erdoğan visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar on Sunday and Monday, during which he urged the sides to continue dialogue through diplomatic channels and called on Saudi Arabia to take a bigger role in reconciliation.

The crisis began on June 5, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt and several other states cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar amid accusations that Doha funds terrorist groups. Turkey has been calling on the parties to solve the issue through diplomacy and that both economic and political sanctions would not serve the interests of the states involved.

Doha denies the allegations and says that any dialogue must first respect Qatar's national sovereignty and lifting the blockades.

Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah has conditioned the lifting of the blockade imposed on his country by four Arab states before engaging in any dialogue with its neighbors.

"Lifting the siege should precede any dialogue," Attiyah said in an interview with Russia Today, excerpts of which were published by Qatar's official news agency on Tuesday.

"If the blockading countries remain reluctant to lift the siege, Qatar will be compelled to resort to the available international legal procedures to lift it," he said.