For the fifth time «Arab Quartet» in the face of Qatar’s provocative practices

The Arab quartet crisis with Qatar is the major topic of the meetings of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain foreign ministers. The four foreign ministers held a consultative meeting for the fifth time on the sidelines of Saudi-led Arab alliance for Yemen meeting in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and getting closer to Iran. The four countries presented a list of their demands for Doha to end this crisis. This demands included “stopping the Qatari support and financing terrorism” and closing of “Al Jazeera” channels.

Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir, Sameh Shukri, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reviewed during the meeting the latest provocative practices of Qatar, which aimed to undermine the interests and national security of the four countries.

They stressed their full solidarity with each other and their adherence to the 13 demands that have been presented to the Qatari side to ensure a normal relationship with them.

The 13 demands include Qatar halting to support and financing terrorism, t closing of “Al Jazeera” channels, closing the Turkish military base in Doha and the disengagement from Iran, which involved in terrorist activities.

The four ministers discussed a number of issues related to Arab national security, stressing their solidarity in the face of any attempts to interfere in the affairs of the Arab countries from outside the Arab region or the presence in the region in a manner that threatens the interests of any of the four countries.

They also confirmed their continues in solidarity and coordinate their positions to protect Arab national security in the face of increasing threats and risks.

Qatar considered the Arab demands to be an attempt to undermine its sovereignty. Qatar also considered the measures taken by the four countries to undermine the Qatari economy, while the Arab Quartet stressed that these measures are sovereign within the protection of their national security and prevention of terrorism.

The boycott came after the Gulf and Arab states exhausted all efforts to prevent Qatar from supporting, financing terrorism and conspiring against its national security, but Doha reversed commitments made by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the Riyadh Agreement 2013 and the annex of the agreement in 2014.