Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir met today with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington, D.C. Before the meeting, Minister Al-Jubeir commented on the situation in Qatar, emphasizing that there is no blockade in place.

“There is no blockade of Qatar. Qatar is free to go – the ports are open, the airports are open. What we have done is we have denied them use of our airspace, and this is our sovereign right. The limitation on the use of Saudi airspace is only limited to Qatari airways or Qatari-owned aircraft, not anybody else. The seaports of Qatar are open; there is no blockade on them. Qatar can move goods in and out whenever they want; they just cannot use our territorial waters,” the Foreign Minister said.

“We have exercised our sovereign right to prohibit them from using our airspace. We have allowed the movement of families between the two countries to happen so that we don’t divide families, and we are prepared to provide Qatar with food and medical supplies, should they need this, through the King Salman Center.”