In the past two weeks, tensions between Egypt and Qatar have risen, especially after the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement about the ongoing violence in Egypt. Cairo considered it brazen interference in its internal affairs and an attempt to distort its image before the international community.

In the official Qatari statement released Jan. 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its concern about the growing number of victims from demonstration suppression and the large number of people being killed throughout Egypt. It also asserted that a dialogue between all the political trends is the only solution to the crisis and that a security approach will not lead to stability. Moreover, the ministry condemned the decision to designate political movements as terrorist organizations, stating, “This decision initiated the policy of firing at protesters to kill them.”

A few hours after the statement was released, Egypt's interim government officially and publicly expressed its dismay. On Jan. 5, Foreign Affairs Minister Nabil Fahmy issued a press statement in which he said, “We reject the Qatari stance, in form and content, and there should not be any intervention in internal Egyptian affairs.” He considered the Qatari statement a reflection of “bad” intentions, released in the context of settling scores.  

An Egyptian diplomatic source informed on Egyptian-Gulf relations and thinking in decision-making circles told Al-Monitor, “Egypt has made urgent moves during the past two weeks to stop repeated Qatari interference in its affairs. We won’t dismiss the possibility that Qatar’s relations with Egypt might have the same fate as Turkey’s. The Egyptian ambassador in Doha might be [recalled] if Qatar continues intervening in Egyptian affairs and distorting the image of Egypt’s political administration before the international community.”