US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Tillerson called for calm and thoughtful dialogue among the parties to avoid further tensions, and urged Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt to ease blockade against Qatar. Tillerson stressed that Qatar needs to be responsive to the concerns of its neighbors in halting financial support and expelling terrorist elements from the country.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will continue to support Qatar even though Saudi Arabia and its allies have broken off ties with Qatar. Erdogan also approved a law on military deployment to a Turkish base in Qatar.