DOHA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed Moscow's support for Kuwait's mediation efforts to defuse the three-month diplomatic crisis among Gulf states, Qatar's state news agency (QNA) reported Thursday.
Lavrov made the comments on Wednesday in Qatar's capital Doha during a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, at the end of his three-nation tour of the region including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Russian foreign minister said that Moscow welcomes all initiatives to resolve the Gulf crisis, and supports the Kuwaiti efforts in that direction.
He underlined that Qatar firmly believes that this crisis can only be resolved through a "constructive dialogue in line with international obligations on all states."
Lavrov added that the crisis could not be ended "by dictates or by submitting a list of demands that undermine Qatar's sovereignty or the international law which the siege countries claim to respect."
"Unfortunately, we have seen nothing but the opposite. It is very clear that the siege countries have so far failed to provide any evidence," the Russian foreign minister said.
The Qatari foreign minister said that Qatar is willing to resolve the Gulf crisis but has seen no sign that the Saudi Arabia-led bloc, which imposed an unjust blockade on Doha, is open to mediation.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt have severed relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade against the latter, accusing Doha of supporting and funding terrorism.
Meanwhile, Kuwait has been acting as a mediator since the crisis began.
The blockading countries have not provided any evidence for their claim, and Qatar has strongly denied the allegations as baseless.
Lavrov, who also met the Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani Wednesday, said his trip was aimed at enhancing the economic and political ties between the two countries.
