Diplomat: Qatar’s strategic choice has always been ‘Gulf reconciliation’

4 years ago

Lulwa Rashid Al-Khater, spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, gives an interview in her office in the capital Doha on February 14, 2018. [STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images]

Qatar has always considered “Gulf reconciliation” as a strategic choice, stressing that the Gulf crisis does not benefit anyone, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lulwa Al- Khater said Qatar has never had a choice in the Gulf crisis, adding that Doha has dealt with the blockade as a reality and achieved a number of gains.

“Our strategic decision is not to spoil the course of reconciliation and to consider what is being circulated in the media as marginal issues,” she added.

The end of the Gulf dispute – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

The Qatari diplomat described her country’s relations with Turkey and Iran as “excellent” and said “we appreciate those who stood by our side during the Gulf crisis and Qatar blockade,” referring to Turkey and Iran.

Following the signing of the Gulf reconciliation agreement on 5 January, Arab and Western media outlets speculated that the move could affect Qatar’s relations with Turkey and Iran, but the Turkish Foreign Ministry was among the first countries to welcome the Gulf settlement and confirmed Ankara’s readiness to strengthen institutional cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

OPINION: Gulf reconciliation can help solve many regional issues