Lavrov, Oman’s top diplomat to discuss diplomatic blockade of Qatar

MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will discuss the diplomatic blockade of Qatar with Oman’s top diplomat Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah on Monday, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on Monday. "These issues are resolved through contacts between Arab countries. I hope today we will hear some ideas on the matter from Oman’s foreign minister," Bogdanov noted. He added that Gulf Cooperation Council members’ differences concerning the diplomatic crisis around Qatar hindered the organization’s cooperation with Russia. Gulf crisis On June 5, 2017, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Yemen, the interim government of Libya, the Maldives and Mauritius, announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Qatar, citing Doha’s hostile policies, interference in other Arab countries’ internal affairs and support of terrorism. However, Doha said the move was unreasonable and rejected all accusations as groundless. Economic sanctions and a transport blockade of Qatar followed. Russia said it would not meddle in the situation, expressing hope that the issue would be solved peacefully and would not become an obstacle in the fight against terrorism. Read more