Cairo and Abu Dhabi have finally commented on the recent developments in the Gulf Crisis, after almost a week since Kuwait announced an “historic” breakthrough in the three year-long dispute.
Early on Tuesday evening, Egypt issued a statement saying it welcomed Kuwait’s mediating efforts in the Gulf Crisis after staying silent for days following the announcements of recent developments..
In a post on his official Facebook page, Cairo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson, Ahmed Hafez, expressed his country’s appreciation towards Kuwait’s “continuous” efforts towards resolving the ongoing Gulf dispute between Qatar and its neighbors, which has lasted for more than three years now.
Hafez also expressed his hope in ending the ongoing rift by finding an “holistic” solution that would “seriously” tackle the causes behind it.
Shortly after, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash tweeted that his government “valued the efforts made by Kuwait and the US towards increasing unity within the Arabian Gulf”.
تثمن الإمارات جهود الكويت الشقيقة والمساعي الأمريكية نحو تعزيز التضامن في الخليج العربي، وتدعم المساعي السعودية الخيرة وبالنيابة عن الدول الاربع، وتؤكد على أن علاقات مجلس التعاون مع مصر الشقيقة ركن أساسي في المحافظة على الأمن العربي وإستقرار المنطقة، وتتطلع إلى قمة خليجية ناجحة.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) December 8, 2020
The statements comes after days of silence from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates whilst other nations, from the Arab world and beyond, welcomed the announcement made by Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding “fruitful discussions” that would resolve the GCC crisis. Al Sabah’s comments were made last Friday.
Egypt and the UAE are part of the quartet that has been imposing a land, air and sea blockade on Qatar since June 5th 2017.
The Emirati minister’s tweet also stated that Abu Dhabi “supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts on behalf of the quartet”. This comes after analysts have been speculating in recent days that there may be a strain in relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Read also: GCC Crisis: What’s the international response been so far?
The announcement by Kuwait that a deal had been reached came after Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, confirmed earlier reports about the potential developments regarding the three-year-long dispute.
“We believe the end of the crisis is important for the security of the region and for the sake of our people. This crisis needs to end based on mutual respect and the rights of all people of the Gulf,” he said.
Saudi Arabia—which is one of the countries involved in the negotiations that were held last Tuesday and Wednesday—also came out with a statement thanking Kuwait, the key mediator throughout the feud, for their efforts.
“We consider with great appreciation the efforts made by the sisterly State of Kuwait to bridge the gap in viewpoints regarding the Gulf crisis, and we thank the American efforts in this regard, and we look forward to it being successful for the benefit and good of the region,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan tweeted on Friday.
Questions regarding the details of the purported deal remain, with analysts saying that these uncertainties will potentially be answered when all Gulf Cooperation Council member states meet later this month for the 41st GCC Summit.
On Sunday, Kuwaiti media reported that Gulf countries are expected to finalise an agreement that would put an end to the illegal blockade on Qatar at the upcoming December summit.
The meeting’s location is still not confirmed and observers are waiting to see if each country will be represented by its head of state – something that hasn’t happened since before the crisis began.
Follow Doha News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube
