Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has coordinated with Saudi Arabia to “increase efforts” that would defuse the standoff with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab states have cut of economic and diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5.

According to a statement from officials in Erdogan's office the Turkish President was in contact with the Saudi royals on Wednesday to congratulate them on the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the new crown prince.

Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said. "We don't want any sort of tension with any Gulf state. We would also not want any of them to be in a row with each other. This has been our approach to this crisis since the beginning," Ibrahim Kalin told reporters on Thursday.

Erdogan's spokesman also, said that Kuwait — which is mediating between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors — would report back with a list of demands by four Arab nations from Doha in order for the crisis to end.

According to the state-run Anadolu Agency a vessel carrying some 4,000 tons of food left the port of Izmir, western Turkey, on Thursday for Qatar. A Turkish contingent of soldiers and armored vehicles arrived along with the food aid.

AP/Reuters