Somalia's foreign minister and international cooperation, Ahmed Issa Awad, said Qatar does not support terrorism and has nothing to do with the bombings in Somalia, while Qatari Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Loualat Al-Khater welcomed the Somali minister.

"The position of the federal government is clear: Qatar does not support terrorism, it has nothing to do with the bombings in Somalia or in Puntland, and it is interested in the stability of Somalia," he said in an interview with Voice of America.

The minister said the federal government was satisfied with the Qatari government's statement, in response to the New York Times report, which reported rivalry between Qatar and the UAE over influence in Somalia.

"He read the report published in the New York Times in full, and found no facts, but accusations."

The Foreign Minister of Somalia, Mr. Ahmed Issa Awad, refers to the statement of the State of Qatar, which refutes the alleged cover in an article published by @nytimes and contained a misleading signal of involvement in the bombings in Bossaso last May. The minister said in an interview that Somalia is satisfied with what Qatar's statement. https://t.co/TyniBOWHkA

- Lolwah Alkhater Lolwah Alkhater (@Lolwah_Alkhater) July 23, 2019

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Foreign Minister Ahmed Issa Awad, expressed his country's satisfaction with Qatar's statement on allegations in an article published in The New York Times.

"The statement by the State of Qatar has refuted the misleading references contained by the article in its involvement in the Busasso bombings in May," the foreign ministry spokeswoman said in a statement.

The New York Times published a report on what it said was a "rivalry" between Qatar and the UAE over influence in Somalia.

The newspaper said in its report texts from the registration of a telephone conversation between Qatar's ambassador to Somalia and Qatari businessman Khalifa al-Muhannadi, said it had been obtained from the intelligence of a country at odds with Qatar, in which he spoke of the explosion in the port city of Bosasso.

Al-Muhannadi described the explosion as being in the interests of the State of Qatar, and that the perpetrators wanted to remove the UAE from the management of the port of Bosasso.

We have become accustomed to the credibility of the newspaper and to respect their opinions and articles, but the newspaper did not convey the statement in the office that was shared with @ddknyt and @ronenbergman on July 9 stating that the person in question does not represent the Government of the State of Qatar in any capacity and will be held accountable for his comments https : //t.co/mTppUGG7CQ

- Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani (@saifaalthani) July 23, 2019

Qatar is listed
Earlier on Tuesday, the State Liaison Office in Qatar issued a statement in response to a report by the American newspaper. The office stressed that "Muhannadi is not an adviser of any kind to the government of Qatar. He was never an advisor and he does not represent the State of Qatar."

"The Qatari businessman has no right to make a comment on behalf of the government, and the person will be investigated and will bear the responsibility for his comments," the statement added.

"The State of Qatar does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Anyone who wishes to do something else does not represent the government of the State of Qatar," he said.

"The UAE has pursued a foreign policy in Somalia that seeks to manipulate and control in exchange for financial support," the statement said.

On the relationship between Doha and Mogadishu, the Liaison Office said that Somalia is an important partner of Qatar and that the relationship between the two countries is based on mutual respect and common interests.

The government liaison office said it had requested a copy of the New York Times record to support the state's investigation into the newspaper's allegations, but the request was not accepted because of the newspaper's own editorial policies.

The Office expressed its respect for the newspaper's policies and that "no further action will be taken in this regard".