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Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned Qatar for using fighter jets to intercept an Emirati civilian aircraft during a routine flight to Bahrain, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Saudi Foreign in a statement said the action constitutes a threat to the safety of civil aviation and violates relevant international laws and conventions.
On July 27, 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates broke off relations with Qatar in the worst diplomatic crisis to hit Gulf Arab states in decades.
The three Gulf countries and Egypt accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region.
Qatar, which shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia, has rejected the accusations, calling them “unjustified” and “baseless.” Yemen and the Maldives also cut ties with Qatar.
Qatari citizens were given 14 days to leave Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, and those countries also banned their own citizens from entering Qatar.
Gulf allies have repeatedly criticized Qatar for alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood, a nearly 100-year-old Islamist group considered a terrorist organization by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The UAE accused Qatar of “funding and hosting” the group in its statement announcing the severance of ties.
It also cited Qatar’s “ongoing policies that rattle the security and sovereignty of the region as well as its manipulation and evasion of its commitments and treaties” as the reason for its actions.
Saudi Arabia accused Qatar in its statement of “adopting” groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Qatar denies that it funds or supports extremist groups. (NAN)
