Qatari envoy to Ankara Salem Mubarak al-Shafi has claimed that there was no valid ground for the recent sanctions against Qatar. He said that the issue, which started with a computer hacking, turned into media war involving fake news and eventually the war got political.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) Tuesday, Shafi evaluated the Gulf crisis, saying that he was surprised by the recent turn of events. "These sanctions against Qatar are out of the line of religion, morality, culture, and neighborhood," said Shafi, as he indicated that the situation only humiliates the countries which imposed the sanctions.

Shafi said that the sanctions were not imposed on "enemy," nation and Qatar has the courage to sit and discuss everything as well as accepting and reversing their mistakes if it is proved that they did make mistakes. The Qatari envoy also said that they will not give in to any outside pressures. "These pressures will increase our bonds with our ideals and beliefs even more," he said.

Referring to the Gulf countries rejection of mediators since the beginning of the crisis, Shafi claimed that this attitude only proved these countries' reluctance towards dialogue and negotiations. "If the ones who want to negotiate with you also want to put a gun to your head, it is not possible to negotiate," Shafi though and said that a dialogue can only be possible with an open mind. He further added that despite the blockade, there was no problem in Qatar in terms of the economy or providing the basic needs of its citizen.

"Turkey is a fellow country. The strategical relation brings us together in a relation that is built on brotherhood, trust, mutual respect and common interests," Shafi said about Qatar's relation with Turkey and indicated that mutual efforts between the countries will further strengthen the bond.