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Russia 'not seeking to vie with anyone' to settle Qatari quandary, vows Lavrov

In June Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and cut diplomatic ties with that country
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Alexandr Sherbak/TASS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
© Alexandr Sherbak/TASS

KUWAIT CITY, August 28. /TASS/. Moscow is not planning to vie with anyone in settling the crisis between Qatar and a number of Arab states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"We support the Kuwaiti initiative, we do not want to vie with anyone," Lavrov said. "We have good relations with all the countries which found themselves in such a difficult situation."

"We strongly believe that Kuwait’s initiative deserves the support of all those who can generate a positive impact on this situation. We are ready to provide this support in any mode that will be acceptable to all participants in this situation," Lavrov stressed.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and meddling in their domestic affairs. Subsequently, they said that they were severing diplomatic relations with Doha. Economic sanctions and a transport blockade were imposed on Qatar.

On June 22, the four Arab states put up 13 demands to Qatar for restoring relations and gave it a 10-day deadline to comply with them. Doha said that the demands were unacceptable as they had nothing to do with the war on terror but aimed at limiting the country’s sovereignty.

Since the very outset of the crisis, Kuwait has been seeking to play the role of a mediator. The State of Kuwait suggested holding a high-level meeting of countries involved in the conflict.