The Director of Information Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Qatar's surprise at describing the move by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to cut off diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar and closing their land and sea borders and airspace as a boycott, despite international consensus that it is an illegal siege, pointing to remarks made by some officials in the GCC countries that severed their relations with Qatar.
In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he said that the closure of the Qatar's only land port, as well as the closure of the airspace and sea routes by the Gulf states, cannot be described as a boycott.
Rather, it is in accordance with the legal logic, a declared siege aimed at putting Qatar, its citizens and residents under pressure to achieve political purposes.
He described the position to be contrary to fraternal ties, Islamic principles, international law and the international humanitarian law.
He pointed out that making baseless allegation is unacceptable nor it is logical in the relations between the brotherly countries and peoples, stressing that Qatar completely rejects linking its name with false allegations on financing of terrorism or even claiming its failure to fight terrorism.
The Director of the Foreign Ministry's Information Office said that in order to preserve fraternal relations with the countries, Qatar refuses to take similar measures by accusing the Gulf countries in this regard, despite the fact that these accusations have been internationally proven against many persons and entities belonging to these countries according to the United Nations (UN's) lists of terrorist organisations and individuals.
He stressed that Qatar, as stated in the statement issued by the Cabinet on June 5, 2017, has taken all measures and obtained all its needs of food and other items earlier and in accordance with a strategy and plans of the State in this regard.
He added that Qatar does not need food or medicine relief, it rather continues to provide assistance to the affected areas, based on its established principles of extending a helping hand to all humanity.
He also stressed that the offer made by the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to provide food and medical aid to Qatar, unequivocally confirms that the closure of land, air and sea ports by the Gulf States is a siege, not a boycott, and reflects the clear contradiction in the remarks by officials of those countries.
He pointed to the cases of separating families, forcing citizens to leave and preventing them from travelling between countries, and asked: "Is this also just a boycott and not a siege?"
