Qatar Row: EU Warns GCC May Fall Apart Amid Dispute
Local Editor
Commenting on the ongoing diplomatic dispute among the Gulf countries, the European Union [EU] warned that the Arab regional grouping of the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] might collapse.
GCC members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air routes with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region.
Meanwhile, other members, Oman and Kuwait, remained neutral. Kuwait City is also engaging in mediation efforts. And the only other GCC member is Qatar itself, which has rejected the accusations against it and has ruled out submitting to the will of the boycotting countries.
Speaking on Monday, EU foreign policy director Federica Mogherini said the European bloc was "worried" that the GCC "might come disunited out of these tensions."
Earlier, a Qatari deputy prime minister had also said the GCC was in its dying stages.
Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said Qatar had learned not to put too much trust in the countries that have laid the siege on it.
Mogherini also said that the EU backed the mediation efforts being carried out by Kuwait.
"As you know we support the mediation efforts of the Emir [Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah] of Kuwait with all our means," she said, adding, "We hope and we believe that the tensions can be resolved through the Kuwaiti mediation."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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