Riyadh pact should be basis for resolving Qatar row

The Riyadh Agreement signed by six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries back in 2014 forms a good basis for resolving the dispute that erupted within the alliance, Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky has said.

He was holding talks with the ambassadors of Bahrain and Egypt, the Charge d'affaires of Saudi Arabia and the First Secretary at the Embassy of the UAE in Moscow.

First Secretary at the UAE Embassy in Russia, Mohamed Al Mansouri, the Bahraini Ambassador to Russia, Ahmed Al Sahaati, the Egyptian Ambassador to Russia, Dr Mohammed Al Badri, and the Saudi Charge d'Affaires to Russia, Mohammed Al Shammari, also explained the political efforts made by their countries to discourage Doha's aggressive policies, and how lack of cooperation led to the decision by them to cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar to protect their national security and safety of their people.

The four countries severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on June 5, 2017, to preserve their national security against terrorism and extremism and their meeting was part of direct contacts with major capitals to explain the reasons for their decision and the measures they took vis-à-vis Qatar. The four diplomats also said the current phase required concerted efforts by all states to condemn and combat terrorism at the global level.

The Russian parliamentarian said that his country enjoys distinguished relations with the four countries and welcomes consultation with their leaders on various issues of mutual interest.

He expressed his full understanding of the four countries' concerns and the reasons that led them to adopt such a decision. He also called on Qatar to sit at the dialogue table with its brothers to remove these fears and resolve the dispute peacefully between them.

He said that Russia was one of the first countries to fight terrorist groups, adding that it had blacklisted the terrorist 'Brotherhood' 10 years ago because of the group's terrorist acts, and therefore supports the inclusion of this group in the prohibited list issued by the four countries.

Slutsky also suggested the exchange of information and lists between them and coordinate to fight terrorist groups and dry up their sources.

Source: .khaleej Times