Qatar’s Economy Not Damaged By Sanctions, Says Ambassador
Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, said Qatar’s economy has not been damaged by the sanctions imposed by a number of neighboring countries, notably Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt.
“There is no damage to our economy. Qatar is solid in its economy and we are comfortable and we can continue like this forever,” the ambassador said in an interview with CNN, calling for an end to the ongoing siege, which harms all of the region and the fight against terrorism.
Asked about Qatar’s readiness to commit to the six principles that Doha was asked to sign and which are made up of broad requests on fighting terrorism and extremism, HE Sheikh Meshal said “the State of Qatar has demonstrated its constructive approach to resolve this crisis.”
“We have called many times to have a meeting to sit and discuss this … so now it’s up to the boycotting countries to decide and come to the table,” he said.
Al-Thani refused to link the counterterrorism agreement recently signed with the United States to the demands submitted to Qatar by the siege countries, saying that they should be handled differently. The ambassador added that the agreement signed with the United States supports it in its fight against terrorism. As for issues related to the current crisis, he said, Qatar holds a clear stance where, referring to HE the foreign minister who said that “the state of Qatar has adopted a very constructive attitude since the beginning of the crisis. We are trying to act mature and discuss the matter.”
Al-Thani questioned whether the other countries are also adopting a constructive attitude, requesting an answer to the question.
Asked whether Qatar believes the other party is keen on settling the crisis or the issue is more about influence, the ambassador said it is in everyone’s favor to reach a resolution for the crisis because the status quo does not benefit anyone, adding that Qatar has showed seriousness in finding a solution and is hoping that the other countries would show the same seriousness.