Italian FM arrives in Doha, meets Qatari counterpart

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Wednesday held a joint press conference with Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano, who arrived in Doha earlier the same day for a one-day visit.

At the press conference, Al Thani described a landmark handshake between Saudi FM Adel al-Jubeir and Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif -- which occurred Tuesday at an Istanbul-hosted OIC conference -- as a “private affair”.

Qatar, he said, “does not interfere in other countries’ bilateral relations and expects other countries not to interfere in our foreign relations”.

Asked about perceived double standards on the part of Riyadh, which continues to demand that Qatar sever its relations with Iran, Al Thani said: “We’ve seen a number of contradictions within the context of the ongoing crisis” pitting Qatar against several fellow Arab states.

“These contradictions,” he added, “have not been limited to handshakes.”

In early June, a handful of Arab states -- led by Saudi Arabia -- abruptly severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups.

In the two months since, the Saudi-led bloc has reiterated demands that Doha sever all ties with Tehran, which is largely seen as Riyadh’s chief regional rival.