Qatar Blockade to Continue Until Doha Fulfills Arab States' Demands

Diplomatic and economic sanctions against Qatar will remain in place until Doha fulfills the demands put forward by the Gulf States, the states involved in a diplomatic row with Qatar said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the Gulf country, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their domestic affairs. The Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania followed suite, while Jordan and Djibouti reduced the level of their diplomatic missions in Qatar.

"The existing measures of the four countries will continue until the Qatari authorities will undertake to fulfill fair demands regarding combating terrorism and achieving stability and security in the region," the statement read, as quoted by the Saudi Arabian Al Yaum media outlet.

On July 3, the four states agreed to a two-day extension of the deadline given to Qatar to respond to their list of demands. The extension of the deadline that expired July 2, was issued at the request of Kuwait, a mediating party between Qatar and the Gulf States.

The 13-point list of demands includes the severance of Qatar’s relations with Iran, closure of Turkey’s military base in Qatar and a shutdown of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Thani said that the demands put forward by the Gulf States were neither acceptable nor based on evidence.