Qatar plays down fears of rift with Gulf states over 'fake' criticism by emir

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar on Thursday played down fears of a rift with fellow Gulf Arab states over what it said were fake remarks by its emir criticising U.S. foreign policy, saying they shared the same interests and fate.

"Qatar is always in favour of maintaining strong and brotherly relations with GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)countries," Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told a new conference in the Qatari capital.