DOHA, May 25 (Reuters) - Qatar's foreign minister on Thursday played down fears of a rift with fellow Gulf Arab states over what it had 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," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told a new conference in the Qatari capital.

"In Riyadh we had very positive discussions about the relationship between Gulf countries," he added, referring to talks in the Saudi capital.

(Reporting by Tom Finn Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Louise Ireland) ((Sami.Aboudi@thomsonreuters.com; +97143918301;))