Several Arab Countries Sever Diplomatic Relations with Qatar; Doha Criticizes Move

Malawi and the Yemeni government on Monday, June 5, joined Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates in severing diplomatic relations with Qatar. Meanwhile, the government based in Benghazi, eastern Libya, also cut ties with Doha on Monday. Qatar, criticizing these actions, described them as “unjustified.”

Earlier, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates had said they would sever diplomatic relations with Qatar, citing what they called “support for terrorism” or “protection of national security.”

Yemen’s government also said it was cutting relations with Qatar due to Qatar’s cooperation with the Shiite Houthi group. The Houthis, who enjoy Iranian support, control Sana’a, the capital, and parts of Yemen.

Previously, Bahrain stated in a statement that it had severed all maritime and air relations with Qatar and gave Qatari citizens 14 days to leave Bahrain.

Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates also issued similar statements.

In a statement released by Saudi Arabia, Qatar was accused of supporting “terrorist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, and also the Islamic State group.”

Saudi Arabia also said it would block diplomatic relations and all maritime, land, and air routes with Qatar. The statement said this action was taken to “preserve territorial integrity guaranteed by international law, and to protect national security against dangers stemming from terrorism and extremism.” Saudi Arabia also said it had asked Qatar’s military forces to withdraw from the coalition involved in Yemen.

In this connection, the United Arab Emirates accused Qatari diplomats of “support, provision of financial resources, and affiliation with terrorism, extremism, and sectarianism,” and gave them 48 hours to leave the UAE.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also announced that due to “national security,” it had closed all air and maritime routes to all Qatari traffic.

In this regard, Saudi Arabian, Emirates, and FlyDubai airlines suspended flights to Doha, Qatar’s capital. Qatar Airways also announced that it had suspended its flights to Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Qatar’s stock market experienced a decline of approximately eight percent in the first hour of trading on Monday.

In response, Doha on Monday expressed regret over the severance of relations by these countries and said that their decision was based on false and baseless claims.

In a statement, Qatar said that these countries violated its sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry announced that it has no immediate plans to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar.

The severance of relations by these five countries with Qatar came as the Emir of Qatar had recently emphasized in a phone conversation with Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, “strengthening cooperation with Tehran.”

According to a June 7 report by the official Iranian news agency IRNA, Hassan Rouhani, in contact with Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, while emphasizing the resolution of regional issues, described “sectarianism as one of the great plagues” and “a threat to regional security.”

Three days before this phone call, signs of tension between Arab countries and Qatar had emerged; tensions that arose following the publication of statements attributed to the Emir of that country. In that news attributed to Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, it was stated that Iran is “an Islamic power” and that there is “no rationality” in enmity toward it.

It was also quoted from the Emir of Qatar that his country’s relations with Israel are “at a good level” and it was mentioned that Qatar had recalled its ambassadors from Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, due to “tensions” with the U.S. administration of Donald Trump, U.S. president.

Hours later, the Qatari government said the news was “fake” and its official news agency “was the target of a hacker attack.”

These quotes, which according to the Qatari government are false, were published after Donald Trump, U.S. president, during a visit to Saudi Arabia and meeting with leaders of Islamic countries, sharply criticized Iran alongside King Salman, Saudi Arabia’s king.

After that, Bahrain and Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, on June 4, blocked access to the Al Jazeera news network website and some other Qatari websites.

Also, on June 14, one day before the announcement of severing relations with Qatar, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Cairo, where it was reported that the two sides exchanged views on cooperation in combating terrorism and efforts to bring viewpoints closer regarding the Yemen and Syria disputes.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain had recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in 2013 following tensions over groups supported by Qatar in Egypt and Syria.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the severance of relations by five Arab countries with Qatar will damage the country’s international reputation, as it is scheduled to host the FIFA World Cup in 2024.

Source: Radio Farda