Qatari Foreign Minister KhalidBin MohamedAl-Attiyahhas vowed that the Gulf state will never “relinquish its duties towards Egypt" in an interview with London-based daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. "Relations between Qatar and Egypt have not changed; Egypt is an important country in the Arab world, and we have always believed that Egypt should be strong," Al-Attiyah said. Relations between Cairo and Doha have been strained since the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, with Egypt criticising Qatar's hosting of several exiled Muslim Brotherhood leaders. Egyptian authorities have also criticised Doha-based Al Jazeera for its coverage of Egyptian affairs, alleging that the network provides support for terrorism. Several Al Jazeera journalists have been jailed in Egypt, and the local branch of the channel was shut down. Qatar recently distanced itself from the Brotherhood by deporting some of its members to other countries. During the interview, Al-Attiyah stressed that any harm that affects Egypt would affect the whole Arab region, and for that reason "Qatar has not never abandoned its duties towards Egypt, not since the January 25 Revolution and not even after Egypt's El-Sisi took office in July 2014." In February Qatar recalled its ambassador to Egypt, Saif Moqadam Al-Boenain, after Egypt's envoy to the Arab League alleged that Doha supports terrorism. Qatar had criticisedunilateral Egyptian airstrikesagainst Islamic State group targets in Libya in February, which took place after an IS video showing the beheading of 20 Egyptian migrant workers was published. In March the Qatari ambassador returned to Cairo, and later that month he attended an Arab League summit held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh on 28-29 March with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa, in a possible sign of an easing of tensions between the two states. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/127917.aspx
