There are rumors of Qatar’s imminent departure from the Gulf Cooperation Council. (File)
Doha:
Qatar denied on Thursday its intention to leave the Gulf Cooperation Council as it prepares to mark three years of isolation led by Saudi Arabia, a heavyweight of the regional bloc.
However, the gas-rich state warned that the effort by three of the six GCC members to isolate Doha economically and politically meant that residents of the region “doubted and doubted” the organization.
Rumors about the imminent departure of Qatar from the GCC, founded in 1981 and based in Riyadh, have swirled in the capitals of the Gulf in recent weeks, analysts and diplomats have pointed out as a possibility.
“Reports that Qatar is considering leaving the GCC are completely incorrect and baseless,” said Qatar’s deputy foreign minister, Lolwah al-Khater.
“These rumors must come from the despair and disappointment of people in the face of a fracture of the GCC, which was a source of hope and aspiration for the inhabitants of the six member countries,” she said.
“As we enter the third year of the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, it is not surprising that the people of the GCC doubt and question the GCC as Qatar hopes that the GCC will again be a platform for cooperation and coordination. An effective GCC is more necessary than ever, given the challenges facing our region, “she added.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as non-GCC Egypt, abruptly severed diplomatic, economic and travel relations with Doha in June 2017 due to their insistence that Qatar was too close to Iran and supported radical Islamist movements.
Qatar fiercely rejected the accusation and refused to budge on any of the 13 demands made by its allies who have become adversaries. These include the closure of the Doha-based Al Jazeera information network and the closure of a Turkish base.
The dispute will enter its third year on June 5.
“Qataris wonder what are the benefits of joining the GCC, the organization having been usurped by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to force smaller states to become followers, when no initiative is taken to end the Gulf crisis, “said King’s College assistant professor Andreas Krieg.
Oman and Kuwait are the other two members of the agency, which oversees regional economic and military coordination, with Qatar and its regional rivals.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
