Turkey, Qatar sign deals

Erdogan arrived in Qatar late Tuesday as part of his tour to Persian Gulf states that began Monday with a visit to Kuwait.

He met Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani before witnessing the signing of agreements at the 3rd High Strategic Committee meeting, according to Anadolu.

The agreements included a memorandum of understanding on central banking, tourism and judicial education; a declaration of intention in meteorological field; cooperation agreements on “friendly harbors” and “criminal subjects" as well as media, technology and humanitarian assistance issues.

Turkey backs Qatar in the Persian Gulf crisis that was triggered in June when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar.

The four states accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups -- the allegations Doha denies, describing the embargo as a breach of its national sovereignty.