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Qatar crisis not to be resolved soon, say both sides

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Qatar crisis not to be resolved soon, say both sides

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]French Foreign Minister visits the region

Despite the ongoing shuttle diplomacy from Western countries, the Qatar crisis seems set to continue for long. The UAE Foreign Minister Dr. Anwar Mohammad Gargash has said that estrangement between “anti-terrorism quartet” and Qatar is not going to be resolved any time soon. Similarly Qatari Foreign Minister says that diplomatic row “can’t be solved in a day.”

Gargash, in one of his tweets on Friday said, “All the evidence before us points to this long break. Just like Qatar cries out about sovereign decisions, the four countries that are boycotting terrorism are exercising sovereign measures.”

UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had severed diplomatic ties and closed its borders with Qatar on June 5.

While elaborating on the issue, UAE Foreign Minister said, “The four boycotting states have every right to protect themselves, shut their borders and protect their stability. They will keep up their actions and strengthen their right to isolate conspiracies. Indeed, we are far from the political solution involving a change in Qatar’s directions. In light of that, nothing will change and we must therefore look for a different format of relations.”

Meanwhile Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, while addressing a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara on Friday, said that the current unprecedented diplomatic row “can’t be solved in a day.”  Earlier Qatari Foreign Minister met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed the Gulf crisis and bilateral relations.

Turkey and Qatar have also reiterated that Ankara would keep a new military base in the Gulf country, rejecting demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies for the facility to be closed. Turkish foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolglu said, “A third country has no right to say something to Qatar or Turkey. Everyone must respect this.” Closure of Turkish army base was one of the thirteen demands put forward by Saudi Arabia led quartet.

Friday evening, US President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Saudi King Salman and discussed efforts to resolve the month-long dispute between Qatar and the four Arab states.

On Wednesday Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with CBN News, “We are going to have a good relationship with Qatar and not going to have a problem with the military base [in Qatar]. If we ever had to leave [the base], we’d have 10 countries willing to build us another one. And they’ll pay for it.”

Qatar is home to the Al-Udeid airbase that holds the forward headquarters of the US Central Command with around ten thousand American troops.

On Saturday early morning British navy vessel “HMS Middleton” arrived in Doha to participate in a joint naval exercise between the British Royal navy and Qatari territorial waters. Qatar’s Defense Ministry has said that the exercise came on the basis of prior agreements between the two sides in the framework of bilateral defense cooperation to support efforts of combating terrorism and smuggling as well as to maintain security and stability in the region.

Earlier this week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia and discussed the issue in detail with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to mend the widening rift. He could not achieve any breakthrough.

On Saturday French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Drian is visiting Doha, as part of his two day Gulf tour to ease the tension in the region. After meeting Qatari Emir, he will travel to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE.

British and German Foreign Ministers have already visited the rival countries to defuse the situation without any success.

In a dramatic move, UAE Minister for the Federal National Council, Noura al-Kaabi,  while talking to London based The Times on Friday, said that Emirates sought “fundamental change and restructuring” of Al-Jazeera rather than to shut it. She also said that the Saudi-led group was ready to negotiate with Qatar on the subject.

After severing ties with Qatar, the four countries put forward thirteen demands to Qatar which included severing ties with their perceived arch rival Iran, closure of Aljazeera News network and shutting down of Turkish military base in the country. Qatar has refused to bow to the pressure and started meeting its daily requirements from Iran and Turkey.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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