Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies blockading the tiny emirate are ignoring Doha’s efforts to negotiate an end to the almost three-month-old Gulf crisis. Speaking at a joint press conference in Doha after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, al-Thani said, “Qatar maintains its position that this crisis can only be achieved through a constructive dialogue.” Kuwait and the United States have been trying to mediate the crisis since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Doha on June 5.
Lavrov and al-Thani also announced their readiness to bolster bilateral trade and economic. Lavrov vowed to increase economic cooperation, especially in the energy field.