Doha maintains stance on Arab Gulf crisis: Qatari emir

By Ahmed Youssef </p> <p>DOHA (AA) – Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has affirmed that his country's position regarding the ongoing crisis in inter-Gulf Arab relations has “not changed”. </p> <p>In an opening speech delivered Saturday at the 18th Doha Forum, the emir reiterated calls to end the “siege” imposed on Qatar by a Saudi-led bloc of states (including Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates), saying the crisis should be “resolved through dialogue”.</p> <p>“Ongoing repression, tyranny and rights violations have become a threat to human security,&quot; he asserted, adding that regional stability “must not be based on oppression and injustice”.</p> <p>&quot;The conflicts currently sweeping the world have produced regimes that fail to recognize human rights,&quot; the emir said.</p> <p>Organized by Qatar's Foreign Ministry, the Doha Forum kicked off Saturday in the Qatari capital under the banner, “Shaping Policy in an Interconnected World”.</p> <p>The event is being attended by a host of high-profile political, private-sector and civil-society figures, including Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak.