Al-Ula declaration ended a difficult period for GCC: Foreign Minister

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Al-Ula declaration and its outcomes ended a difficult period for the GCC, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said in an interview with Al Araby TV, where he discussed a number of GCC and regional issues. ''Qatar engaged positively following the summit and has worked continuously and diligently since then to rebuild trust, rebuilding the relationship and framing it in the fraternal framework that it is supposed to be. There is a positive vision by both the Qatari and the Saudi leadership that the two countries will overcome these differences and work to strengthen relations in the future,” he said. The Deputy Prime Minister also said that the visit of HH the Amir to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came following an invitation form the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, adding that there was talks on bilateral economic cooperation and enhancing the historic bilateral relations between the two countries. He acknowledged that the GCC crisis over the past four years was difficult, but maintained that all sides want to benefit from lessons learned and work towards the future. Concerning communication with officials in the United Arab Emirates, and whether there were any new requests submitted to the Qatari side from Abu Dhabi, he said that there were no new requests. His Excellency highlighted that the outcomes of Al-Ula declaration stated that each party involved will work on resolving their concerns in a bilateral manner, saying it was normal that different countries would more to resolve their differences at different rates. Qatar held a number of meetings with the UAE following Al-Ula declaration, adding that the Qatari side felt a positive vision to overcome the differences. His Excellency said the last of those meetings took place two or three weeks ago, adding that he is in contact with officials in the UAE. He maintained that overcoming the current difficult period will require some time, adding that the State of Qatar realizes that the process is difficult for everyone involved, whether the governments or the people. On whether the State of Qatar has obtained guarantees so that the differences do not re-emerge or to avoid the blockade people were subjected to, His Excellency said that no country can get guarantees from another one. His Excellency said that based on what they have experienced with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia so far, joint work and enhancing bilateral relations is the biggest guarantee against differences in the future. His Excellency said that there must be continuous communication without interruption similar to that which took place in the GCC crisis, if all countries involved are to avoid crises in the future, stressing that this was the State of Qatar's belief and that of the other countries based on the interactions so far. His Excellency added that Qatar believes the GCC must be strengthened as an institution by creating a mechanism to resolve conflicts, noting that the late Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah proposed that initiative in 2017. On the legal measures taken during the GCC crisis, His Excellency said that the parties involved have agreed on a mechanism to put an end to these measures.MENAFN28052021000063011010ID1102164358