Qatar has to prove its ‘blockade’ claims: Bahrain FM

CAIRO – 6 August 2017: Bahraini Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa stated on his official Twitter account on Sunday that Qatar has to prove its claims that Arab countries imposed a blockade against Doha.

He tweeted saying “If Qatari officials insisted on using the term “Blockade” and that their country is “blockaded”, they have to open an independent investigation in all cases related to this blockade.”

إن كان المسؤولين القطريين يصرون على استخدام كلمة “حصار ” و ان بلدهم “محاصر ” فليفتحوا تحقيق مستقل في اي قضية ترتبط بذاك الحصار

— خالد بن ‏أحمد (@khalidalkhalifa) ٦ أغسطس، ٢٠١٧

Qatar’s relations with several Arab and Gulf states have been strained since May 24, when the Qatari state-run news agency reported Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s statements regarding Gulf foreign policy with Iran, describing it as “unwise.”

On June 5, 2017, several countries, including Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties with Doha over accusations of Qatar backing and funding terrorist groups.

On June 23, 2017, the four Arab states boycotting Qatar sent Doha a list of 13 demands, including downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and cutting off any joint military cooperation with it, closing a Turkish airbase in Qatar, and shutting down al-Jazeera channel.