MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Johnson met with the Qatari Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
"I have urged all sides to refrain from any further escalation and to engage in mediation efforts … In finding a resolution, I call on Qatar to take seriously their neighbours’ concerns. Qatar is a partner of the UK in the fight against terrorism but they urgently need to do more to address support for extremist groups, building on the steps they have already taken to tackle funding to those groups. I am also concerned by some of the strong actions which Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have taken against an important partner, and urge them to ease the blockade on Qatar. I call on all states to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and to find a rapid resolution through mediation," Johnson said, as quoted by the UK Foreign Office.
Foreign Secretary @BorisJohnson's statement on Gulf tensions following a meeting today with Qatari FM @MBA_AlThani_ https://t.co/XxdFfFgv0P
— Foreign Office 🇬🇧 (@foreignoffice) 12 июня 2017 г.
Yemen, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mauritania and the eastern-based government in divided Libya also announced a break in relations with Doha, while Jordan and Djibouti said they would lower the level of diplomatic contacts with Qatar. Senegal and Chad recalled their ambassadors from Doha.
Qatar denied the accusations and said that no retaliatory measures would be taken.
