Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker struck a defiant tone in the face of the continued blockade against his country, calling them a ‘challenge to civilization’ that has only strengthened his resolve to push for more growth and add destinations.

Speaking at the annual tourism fair in Berlin, Al Baker blasted the measures as an assault on his nation, saying “we’re not a grocery shop, we’re a sovereign country,” reported The Peninsula.

Rather than curb growth last year, the embargo had the opposite effect, the CEO said as he announced higher frequencies to places like Barcelona and Madrid and a new twice-daily service to London Gatwick, according to Bloomberg News.

Meanwhile, Al Baker announced that Qatar Airways will report a ‘very large loss’ because of the regional political dispute that slapped restrictions on the airline, according to Al Jazeera.

The Qatari airline had lost access to 18 cities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain when those countries imposed a blockade on the country last June.

“We’ll announce a very large loss during the current financial year, which ends this month,” Al Baker said, without giving further details.

When asked if it was running short of cash, Al Baker said Qatar Airways may need to call on its state owners for extra funds should the blockade continue.

“Not for the foreseeable future, but if it continues long term our shareholders will have to put additional equity into the company,” he said.