Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Ateya said Wednesday that the Gulf country has supported Egypt since the 25 January 2011 uprising, not only following president Mohamed Morsi's rise to power in 2012. The FM also denied rumours of a rift with Saudi Arabia over their support for Egypt's interim-government regarding Morsi's ouster."Qatar was the first Arab country to support the 25 January revolution without knowing who was going to take power. It supported the military council and the interim-government led by Essam Sharaf," Al-Ateya told London-based Al-Hayat newspaper Wednesday.
"I personally signed the Cooperation, Development and Investment agreement with [then] minister of international cooperation Fayza Abol-Naga."
"When Dr. Morsi became the president through the ballot box, we dealt with him as the president and not as a member of a certain party," he added.
Qatar, which has been a prominent donor of foreign aid to Egypt since 2011, was criticised by Morsi's opponents as an ideological ally to the Muslim Brotherhood, from which the deposed president hails.
The Gulf country condemned the violent dispersal of two pro-Morsi camps in Cairo by security forces last month, during which hundreds were killed, and has also called for the release of jailed Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members.
Qatar's statement created tension with Egypt's post-30-June interim-government, which condemned it as a "clear interference in Egyptian affairs."
Al-Ateya went on to deny that there are rifts between Qatar and Saudi Arabia over contrasting stances regarding the ouster of Morsi.
"The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) practices democracy within itself," Al-Ateya said. "A GCC member state could have a different stance from another, without affecting the council's composition."
Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf states welcomed Egypt's ouster of Morsi by the military in July following mass nationwide protests against his presidency, with Riyadh announcing an aid package of $5 billion to Egypt.
