Consolidating Qatar’s
alliances in the face
of illegal blockade
On 9 June, HE the Foreign Minister embarked on a series of diplomatic visits to close
strategic partners to consolidate alliances and build support against the blockade.
The trip began in Germany, where HE the Foreign
Minister met with his German counterpart, Sigmar
Gabriel. Gabriel cited a “dramatic” harshness in relations
between countries in the Gulf and called for the lifting the
sea and air blockade on Qatar.
The following day, HE the Foreign Minister met with the
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow. In
an interview with Russia Today, HE the Foreign Minister
stressed Moscow’s importance in solving the crisis and
called the accusations against Doha “groundless and
improvised”.
On the morning of Tuesday 13 June, HE the Foreign
Minister visited London for a number of ministerial
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meetings and interviews. British Foreign Secretary
Boris Johnson subsequently urged Gulf States to “ease”
their blockade of Qatar, adding that they should “take
immediate steps to de-escalate the situation”. Johnson
further expressed that he was “concerned by some of the
strong actions” Gulf countries have taken “against an
important partner”.
Straight after visiting London, HE the Foreign Minister
went to Paris for another round of ministerial meetings
and interviews. During the subsequent press conference,
he branded the measures taken against Qatar by other
Gulf countries as “unjust” and “illegal”, adding that
“nobody can dictate Qatar’s foreign policy and that the
country will continue to favour “dialogue based on clear