Alwaght- The Persian Gulf crisis ignited by Saudi regimes was a bid to overthrow the leadership in Qatar, the country's foreign minister has said.
Speaking in Paris on Thursday, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Doha is building its diplomacy on the basis of its principles, and believes that the region needs a coherent security strategy that enables people to coexist and live in peace.
In a speech at a meeting on “Qatar’s perspective on regional issues” organized by the International Diplomatic Academy, he noted that what happened in the current Persian Gulf crisis was an attack and an aggression and an attempt to change the rule in Qatar.
“This is not new. The same attempt occurred in 2014, and in 1996, this aggression started against Qatar, when it started to adapt to change, implementing a different strategy and a different vision.”
“These countries do not accept differences of opinion, and do not accept a country that has a different approach,” he said, adding: “We refuse to give up our sovereignty”.
He also pointed out that “no concerns had been mentioned before the siege imposed on Qatar” and that the countries of the blockade have created the crisis at a time when the region faces many challenges.
The minister was referring to a worsening dispute in the Persian Gulf which began in June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade, after accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism". Qatar continues to vehemently reject the allegations as "baseless".
On June 22, the block, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.
Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to violate its sovereignty.
