Qatar bars shops from selling goods from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt
The Arab nations had severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar last year.
Qatar on Saturday asked its shops to remove goods from four countries that severed diplomatic relations with them last June, AFP reported. Inspectors will visit stores to ensure compliance with the order, the economy ministry said.
The Government Communications Office said it was trying to “protect the safety of consumers” by banning products from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – the first four countries to cut ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017. They had accused Doha of financing terrorist groups, charges that Qatar denies. Some other Arab nations joined in the boycott soon after.
The standoff had forced Qatar to shift import routes to Kuwait and Oman, and buy goods from Iran and Turkey, according to Bloomberg.
The government’s directive on Saturday is meant to “find new suppliers of the variety of goods impacted” by the blockade, a statement said. The government will try and stop products such as Saudi dairy goods from entering Qatar through a third country.