ASTANA, June 9. /TASS/. Iran and Russia share stances that the Qatar diplomatic crisis should be resolved through dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif on Friday.
Lavrov and Zarif met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in Kazakhstan’s Astana to discuss the situation in Qatar and the Syrian crisis.
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"We spoke [with Zarif] on progress in the Syrian settlement and how the Qatar issue may influence our joint efforts," Lavrov told reporters.
"Our president [Vladimir Putin] and your representatives said that this crisis [around Qatar] should be resolved at the negotiating table so that all concerns should be alleviated through dialogue," Lavrov told reporters. "Iran has the same position."
On June 5, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Yemen, the interim government of Libya, Mauritius and the Maldives announced that they severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and extremist ideology, hostile policy and meddling in the affairs of the Arab states. Later Mauritania and the Comoros Islands followed suit. Jordan and Djibouti reduced their diplomatic status with Qatar.
Some countries said they would cut sea and air traffic to Qatar, as well as expel its diplomats and citizens. Qatar expressed regret over this decision calling it groundless.