WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Qatar has not been blockaded and Saudi Arabia is prepared to allow shipments of food and medical supplies as needed, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday during the meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
"There is — there is no blockade of Qatar," al-Jubeir said. "Qatar is free to go — the ports are open, the airports are open."
On June 5, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and expelled Qatari citizens, a crisis sparked by charges that Qatar funds terrorist groups such as Hamas.
According to media reports Qatar’s normally busy land border with Saudi Arabia, through which Qatar imports most of its food, is deserted with little evidence of traffic in either direction.
Al-Jubeir said that Saudi airspace has been closed to Qatari owned aircraft, which is his nation’s sovereign right.