(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed yesterday that the State of Qatar is still committed to resolving the GCC crisis. He noted that this commitment is a result of Qatar's belief that there is a bigger threat in the region, which is terrorism.
In an interview held with US TV network MSNBC, he described the propaganda waged against the State of Qatar accusing it of terrorism without any evidence was baseless. On ties between the State of Qatar and Iran, he noted that Qatar has a unique relationship with Iran. He pointed out that Qatar is located between and shares borders with two big countries — Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister noted, however, that there were concerns of Iran's increasing influence in the region, but stressed that those fears must be addressed peacefully and that is what Qatar is encouraging other Gulf states to do. He added that this was also the decision taken during the GCC summit that took place in 2016, saying that the decision taken in December 2016 was to engage in dialogue with Iran on the principle that the GCC will be one entity and Iran the other.
Addressing whether there was a sense that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a threat to Qatar's future, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that there was a diversion in the policy of Saudi Arabia and the UAE from the GCC agreement which was the engagement in dialogue. There was also a sense of unpredictability when it comes to the policies of Saudi Arabia and UAE in the region, he said.
He added that there was a lot of chaos and crises that occurred in the region, pointing out that Qatar was part of a bigger strategy now seen in Lebanon too.
MENAFN1911201700630000ID1096110790
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.