Qatar emir says Saudi-led boycott 'overcome'

Qatar's emir has said a bitter regional dispute with its neighbours will pass and that it has made the country stronger.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani made the comments in a speech on Tuesday at Qatar's shoura council, The New Arab's Arabic-language service reported.

"Qatar's economy grown stronger as a result of the crisis and made it immune to external shocks," Sheikh Tamim said.

"We have become more self-reliant and our relations with our allies have become more entrenched," he said.

"History teaches us that crises pass… it is very regrettable that the continuation of the Gulf crisis exposed the failure of the Gulf Cooperation Council," he added.

On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade relations with Qatar, closing land, air and sea links.

The Saudi-led bloc accused Doha of supporting terrorism and their foe Iran. Doha denies the charges and says the boycott aims to impinge on its sovereignty.

The emir's comments come after both the Saudi crown prince and Egyptian president offered rare praise of Qatar in recent speeches.

On Monday, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed that stability in Doha was vital to regional security and last month Mohammed bin Salman praised the Qatari economy.

The praises have come as Riyadh has been facing growing pressure and criticism over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.