The emir of Qatar says his oil-rich Gulf nation has provided no support for the Islamic State extremist group.

Following meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told reporters that "Qatar has never, and will never support terrorist organizations."

The comments came after Tamim was asked about a German politician's comments last month suggesting that Qatar has played a role in funding the Islamic State group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Merkel said she was happy the emir could answer the question in an open forum to "correct faulty assessments."

She said Tamim had also assured her personally that "the fight against Islamic State is as much the task of Qatar as it is of other countries."