KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has welcomed the resumption of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The Port Dickson MP and PKR president said that it is urgent for countries to set aside differences, especially as the Covid-19 virus poses a threat throughout the world.
“As the pandemic rages, there is an urgent need for nations to set aside differences and return to a state of friendship and cooperation in order to overcome the many pandemics and post-pandemic challenges facing the world,” he said in a Facebook post today.
He added that such a move could prove beneficial for the tumultuous Middle Eastern region.
“To that effect, I encourage the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to move towards a comprehensive and lasting settlement in order to allow for regional trade and investment and greater collaboration on political and diplomatic issues,” he said.
This week, media reported the restoration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Qatar after a three-year rift.
Saudi Arabia announced that the country will lift air, land and sea embargoes against Qatar.
However, this move may not sit well with Saudi ally the United Arab Emirates.
The Africa Report cited Middle East advisor Shathil Nawaf Taqa as suggesting that Qatar and Saudi Arabia made several attempts to reconcile, but failed due to UAE’s influence.
Meanwhile, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a Dubai-based professor of politics, told the Financial Times that mending the ties between the states was welcomed, given that “the cost of fighting was too high”.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia along with its allies spearheaded an embargo over Qatar, based on accusations that Qatar supported Islamist groups close to Iran. – The Vibes, January 9, 2021
