Turkish Prime Minister cancels Qatar trip after sugery: agency

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani visited Erdoğan at his home. AA Photo

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has cancelled an official trip to Qatar this weekend and will instead rest at home after undergoing surgery last month, the Anatolia news agency said Wednesday."Erdogan will be resting this weekend too," said Anatolia.According to his official programme, the Turkish premier was supposed to fly to Qatar's capital Doha on December 10 to attend a meeting of the Alliance of Civilisations.Erdoğan's doctors advised him not to travel as it might be tiring, reported the private NTV television.The 57-year-old prime minister underwent laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery on November 26.Erdogan met with US Vice President Joe Biden last Saturday at his home in Istanbul.On Wednesday, he met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani also at his home. He was also expected to meet with Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Irsen Küçük later on Wednesday.Murat Yetkin, editor-in-chief of English-language Hurriyet Daily News, said in his column on Tuesday that the attention of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) supporters was focused on Erdoğan's health."Yesterday (Monday) marked the third consecutive week without a cabinet meeting and the party priority now is to see him back in business," he wrote.The prime minister might return to work next Monday when he attends the weekly cabinet meeting, said NTV.Erdoğan has been in office since 2003.