The end of the Gulf dispute is a victory for the region, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister told CNBC after announcing that relations between Qatar and four Arab countries have been fully restored.
Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Egypt on Tuesday signed an agreement aimed at strengthening unity and cohesion. The agreement came more than three years after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a trade and travel blockade on Qatar.
“We were able to reach the Al-Ula Declaration which puts a dispute behind us … between the four countries and Qatar,” said Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, referring to the similarity named after the ancient city. of Al-Ula where leaders of the Arab nations met.
The region plunged into a crisis in 2017, when Saudi Arabia and its allies severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar, accusing the small host nation of being too close to Iran and supporting terrorism. Doha has denied the allegations.
We strongly believe that the Al-Ula Declaration resolves all the outstanding issues and concerns that the countries’ parties would have had.
Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister
Saudi Arabia opened its airspace, land and sea borders to Qatar on Monday. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, with a hug when the latter arrived on Saudi soil.
Al-Saud said he thought the agreement would be a “very, very strong basis” for regional stability in the future.
Asked if it was a victory for the outgoing Trump administration, al-Saud said: “I think this agreement is a victory for the region, first a victory for all of us.”
Saisian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud will hold a press conference at the end of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the city of Al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021.
Fayez Nureldine | AFP | Getty Images
Still, he acknowledges support from the US and Kuwait, which have mediated between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “Absolutely, President Trump and (White House senior adviser) Jared Kushner have been instrumental in reaching this agreement, and they are working very closely with Kuwait, which has been working on this for some time,” he told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble said.
Not about Iran or Washington
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Tuesday that GCC unity is needed to address challenges in the region, “especially the threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear program,” according to Arab News.
Foreign Minister al-Saud told CNBC the deal is in the interest of the region’s security. “This agreement is not about Iran or anyone else. It is about bringing our countries together and making sure we work together to bring prosperity and security to our people.”
Asked if Saudi Arabia might be trying to get into President-elect Joe Biden before the inauguration, he said: “It’s not about Washington, it’s about the region and the priorities our countries have.”
Biden is expected to repay US support for the kingdom when he takes office.
The Saudi foreign minister said the Gulf countries would work together on security issues as well as economic integration.
“We strongly believe that the Al-Ula Declaration resolves all the outstanding issues and concerns that the countries’ parties would have had and that it lays the foundation for a very strong, cooperative agenda for the GCC, and also for the region, ‘he said.