![Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani attends the conference titled "Supporting the Future of Syria and Region" in Brussels, Belgium on March 14, 2019 [Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/20190314_2_35424429_42577576.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdel-Rahman Al-Thani has said that his country is “ready to talk” with Saudi Arabia on the basis of reciprocal respect.
This came in response to a tweet by the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubier saying that Qatar has to change its behaviour if it wants to talk with Saudi Arabia.
Al-Thani replied – also on twitter – writing: “We welcome talks based on respect, but if the issue is based on dictations, we should remain far from each other.”
Saudi-Qatari relations have been strained since the imposition of a blockade on Qatar by Saudi Arabia and its key allies the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain in 2017.
Read: World Court rejects UAE demand for immediate measures against Qatar