Alwaght-The Qatari emir has said an ongoing blockade of his country by Saudi-led regimes is futile warning that the months-long crisis is undermining the region's security and economic outlook.
"It has been a futile crisis, manufactured by our neighbors," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told a major security conference held in Germany on Friday.
"By defusing the impact of the illegal and aggressive measures imposed on our people, Qatar has preserved its sovereignty," he said.
"Those aggressive actors wish to use smaller states as pawns within their power games and sectarian conflicts."
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade relations with Qatar on June 5 last year. The Saudi-led regime severed the ties due to what they claimed is Qatar’s support for terrorist groups in the region.
Qatar vehemently denies the allegations, describing attempts to isolate it by its fellow Arab states as a violation of international law.
On June 22, the block, 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.
Despite the measures against it, Qatar has developed new international trade routes and accelerated economic diversity, Sheikh Tamim added.
He also called for a comprehensive security settlement in the West Asia region (Middle East), saying the region must be brought back from the brink of disaster.
