Qatar responds to Saudi remarks on reconciliation

22 June 2019; MEMO: Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdel-Rahman Al-Thani has said that his country is “ready to talk” with Saudi Arabia on the basis of reciprocal respect.

This came in response to a tweet by the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubier saying that Qatar has to change its behaviour if it wants to talk with Saudi Arabia.

Al-Thani replied – also on twitter – writing: “We welcome talks based on respect, but if the issue is based on dictations, we should remain far from each other.”

Saudi-Qatari relations have been strained since the imposition of a blockade on Qatar by Saudi Arabia and its key allies the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain in 2017.