Manama: The four Arab countries that severed relations with Qatar in June 2017 will not change their stances until Doha alters its policies, Egypt’s foreign minister has said.

Sameh Shoukry stressed that there were no new developments regarding the Qatar crisis and that the status quo that has marked it remains.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt severed their diplomatic, trade and travel relations with Qatar for its support of extremism despite endorsing the Riyadh agreements that banned harbouring them. They issued a list of 13 demands and asked Qatar to comply with them.

However, Qatar dismissed the charges and rejected the demands, resulting in a stalemate that has not been altered despite the mediation efforts exerted mainly by Kuwait.

Officials from the Quartet have insisted that Qatar knew exactly what to do to solve the crisis and that they were willing to wait for as long as it takes for the Qatari “right move.”

“The crisis is still going on and nothing has changed since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain made the decision to sever their relations with Qatar,” Shoukry said in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on the sidelines of Egypt’s participation in the African summit.

“The Arab quartet is consistent in its attitudes and approaches. There is regular coordination between the four countries to clarify issues and strengthen their positions and policies. There is no reconciliation with Qatar until it changes its behaviour and approach so that we spare ourselves the negative consequences of its policies,” he said.

The position of the Arab Quartet towards Qatar is clear and there will be no restoration of relations with Doha until there is a tangible change in its policy, he added.

“We have not heard from our partners anything about a wish for reconciliation with Qatar in response to international or regional pressure.”

In Doha, the Government Communications Office (GCO) on Monday called upon all citizens and residents in Qatar “to avoid slipping into the abuse of peoples and communities and their symbols on social media and elsewhere, in line with the true principles of Islam and genuine Arab ethics.”