Qatar is even stronger than it was before the blockade, says emir

Qatar is even stronger than it was before the siege, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said on Wednesday, expressing confidence at the country’s future.

"To us and to everyone, Qatar after June 2017 is unlike what it was in the past,” al-Thani said during a cabinet meeting in Doha.

“We are proud of our history, but what happened in June 2017 made us stronger and has allowed us to work harder for the country," he added.

Qatar has achieved a boost in morale after proving its resilience to the blockade, especially after the four blockading countries fell flat in a press conference in July.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have been boycotting Qatar since June 5, over unsubstantiated claims Doha has backed extremists, in the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years.

They sealed the emirate's only land border, ordered its citizens to leave and closed their airspace and waters to Qatari flights and shipping, calling for Doha to fall in line with Saudi-led policy in the region, particularly towards Iran.

The blockading countries also demanded that Qatar break its longstanding ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, blacklisted as a "terror group" by the four governments although not by the international community, while seeking for the closure of broadcasting giant Al Jazeera and a Turkish military base.

Qatar has dismissed the demands as a violation of its sovereignty and has received significant support from its ally Turkey.