BERLIN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel criticized the decision by several Arab countries to sever ties with Qatar and U.S. President Donald Trump's involvement in the crisis, German media reported.
"Apparently, Qatar is to be isolated more or less completely and hit existentially," the DPA reported on Wednesday, quoting an interview Gabriel did with Handelsblatt Daily a day earlier.
"Such a 'Trumpification' of relations in a region already susceptible to crises is particularly dangerous," he said.
"I am very concerned with the dramatic escalation and the consequence for the whole region," Gabriel told the newspaper.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates severed ties with Qatar on Monday. Yemen, Libya and the Maldives followed suit.
Qatar has been accused of supporting extremism and destabilizing the region, but it rejected such accusations as "unjustified" and "baseless."
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!"
Gabriel met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Tuesday and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Wednesday, trying to find a solution to the diplomatic crisis.
He also warned that Trump's latest "gigantic military deal" with some Gulf countries is "exacerbating the risk of a new arms build-up."
