GCC Crisis :Source(DT) 06 December, 2020
On Monday 5th June, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain announced they were cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar, and announced an air, sea, and land blockade. This development marked a rapid and unexpected escalation in the campaign against Qatar. It followed a concerted campaign of misinformation and fabricated news, including the hacking of Qatar’s national news agency. The accusations being made against Qatar are unjustified and baseless. Qatar has not, does not, and will never support terrorism in any form. We stand firm with our partners and the international community in the fight against terrorism. The Government regrets the unprecedented steps currently being taken against Qatar. We continue to believe that any issues can and should be solved through dialogue and discussion. 20 April 2017 The first in a series of thirteen opinion pieces critical of Qatar appears in the American media. The articles include baseless accusations designed to smear Qatar’s reputation in the United States. 20 May 2017 His Highness the Amir attends the Riyadh Summit and commits to working with the United States and members of the GCC to combat extremist ideology and cut terrorist funding. 24 May 2017 The website of Qatar News Agency is hacked and a false statement about HH the Amir is published. The State of Qatar immediately launches an investigation. His Excellency the Foreign Minister confirms that “Qatar was subjected to a carefully orchestrated smear campaign”. 5 June 2017 Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt launch an illegal and unjustified blockade against Qatar. 19 June 2017 The citizens of blockading countries are forcibly recalled from Qatar, resulting in human rights violations. Families are divided, education interrupted and businesses forced to close. The blockaders’ unilateral measures are denounced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 23 June 2017 The blockading countries release a baseless list of 13 demands to Qatar. 1 July 2017 Qatar rejects the blockading countries’ demands. The demands constitute an attack on Qatar’s sovereignty. Allegations of terrorism perpetuated by the blockading nations have no basis in fact. 11 July 2017 Qatar and the US sign an MoU on combatting terrorism and its financing: The MoU reinforces the existing strategic framework on counter terrorism
The MoU builds on the long history of cooperation and partnership between the US and Qatar
20 July 2017 Qatar’s Ministry of Interior confirms they have evidence to prove the cyberattack on the country’s official media originated from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 21 July 2017 His Highness the Amir addresses the nation, saying that Qatar and its people “rose spontaneously, defending the sovereignty and independence of the country.” 19 September 2017 His Highness the Amir speaks at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, condemning the “unjust blockade” and the violation of human rights conventions and agreements. 5 December 2017 His Highness the Amir attends the GCC Summit in Kuwait, expressing his hope that the GCC would continue working towards stability and security in the Gulf region. None of His Highness’ counterparts from the blockading countries were in attendance, and the two-day GCC Summit ends in Kuwait within hours of its start. 19 December 2017 Qatar Central Bank launches an investigation into attempts to harm the Qatari economy though the manipulation of its currencies, securities and derivatives markets. 10 January 2018 Qatar seeks international arbitration to end the blockade following a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) which documents violations by the blockading countries. 11 January 2018 Qatar informs the UN that Emirati fighter aircraft has violated its airspace, affirming the Qatari Emiri Air Force’s adherence to the highest standards of aviation safety and its firm position to ensure the safety of civilians. Four airspace violations are recorded between December 2017 and February 2018. 30 January 2018 The first Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue takes place. The two countries sign important agreements to further bilateral relations. 16 February 2018 His Highness the Amir speaks at the Munich Security Conference, calling for a regional governance framework and the peaceful arbitration of disputes in the Middle East. 17 March 2018 Qatar files a lawsuit in the United States against individuals who are conducting an illegal social media and internet campaign to spread false information and damage Qatar’s economy. 10 April 2018 His Highness the Amir meets with US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, reaffirming the close partnership between the two countries in security and defence, as well as economic and political cooperation. 17 May 2018 The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) board agreed on the necessity of the commitment of all parties to the highest standards of safety and security as well as emphasising the full cooperation between States that have signed the 1944 Chicago agreement. 23 May 2018 One year ago, Qatar News Agency was hacked and false statements were published. Less than two weeks later, the statements were used to justify an illegal blockade of Qatar. 5 June 2018 One year ago today, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt launch an illegal and unjustified blockade against Qatar. 11 June 2018 The State of Qatar initiated proceedings against the UAE before the International Court of Justice for human rights violations against Qataris and residents of Qatar. 23 July 2018 The ICJ issued today an order granting the State of Qatar’s request for provisional measures against the United Arab Emirates in a case relating to the UAE’s unlawful discriminatory treatment of Qatari citizens. 18 December 2018 The World Trade Organisation (WTO) announced that it will establish a panel to investigate Qatar’s allegations of intellectual property theft against Saudi Arabia regarding it blocking of the beIN Sports network, and its refusal to act against the piracy of its content by Saudi-owned/operated Beout 8 April 2019 Qatar sues banks in Luxembourg, UAE and Saudi Arabia for engaging in currency manipulation of the Qatari Riyal. 19 May 2019 Qatar ships LNG to UAE after Dolphin pipeline outage. 30 May 2019 His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, attends an emergency summit on regional security in Mecca, becoming the highest level Qatari official to visit Saudi Arabia since the onset of the illegal blockade. 14 June 2019 The International Court of Justice rejects a request by the UAE for measures against Qatar in a case relating to the UAE’s unlawful discriminatory treatment of Qatar and the Qatari people. 8 August 2019 The UAE formally withdraws from its WTO dispute with Qatar, dropping allegations of trade restrictions by Qatar against the UAE. 23 August 2019 Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry confirms that delegations from Qatar and the UAE met before the WTO dispute settlement committee for three days of hearings, as part of Qatar’s lawsuit against the UAE for arbitrary trade measures imposed since the launch of the illegal blockade of Qatar.
GCC crisis: ‘Deal to be finalised at this month’s summit
