Qatar is ready to mediate between Iran and the United States
as Joe Biden, assumes office of President, after the turbulent years of the
Trump administrations, said Lolwah al-Khater, spokeswoman for Qatar’s Foreign
Ministry. She also pointed out that Qatar is committed to engaging in
a “constructive dialogue” between Tehran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
“Qatar has expressed its willingness to play such a role,
yet we have to be invited by both parties, who are still hesitant to take this
step, in terms of entering and engaging in direct negotiations,” said al-Khater.
She stated that Iran and Arab states of Persian Gulf’s are
geographical realities in the region and they need to start a direct dialogue.
“Iran is a geographical reality in our region and the
[Persian] Gulf states are a geographical reality, no one is going away, and
that is why it is very important to engage in a meaningful, constructive and
direct dialogue," the spokeswoman asserted.
She said a dialogue between Iran and its Arab neighbors is
even more important than a dialogue between Iran and the United States.
“If it was important for the US to have a dialogue with
Iran, then it is even more important for us as [Persian] Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries to have a meaningful and constructive dialogue with
Iran, one that will preserve the collective security of our region, the rights
of our peoples and ensure a prosperous future for coming generations,” she
continued.
The Qatari official also pointed to Qatar’s trade ties with
Iran and Turkey during the GCC crisis, saying that these ties helped Qatar in
achieving a GDP growth more than that of its neighbors.
“Looking back, the economic gains are significant,” she said
of the outcome of the crisis, pointing out that Qatar's GDP grew more than that
of its neighbors during the blockade, when Doha strengthened its trade
relations with Turkey, Iran and other countries in the area beyond the GCC.
The comments came a few weeks after Qatar mended ties with
its Arab neighbors in a reconciliation deal brokered by the US. The deal put an
end to a three-year-and-half dispute between Qatar and an Arab quartet of Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. In June 2017, the
Saudi-led quartet severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a total
blockade on the tiny Persian Gulf nation.
The four countries closed their airspace, land, and sea
routes to Qatari planes, cars, and vessels, a move that prompted Qatar to use
Iranian airspace. Kuwait, a country stuck in the middle of the dispute between
its neighbors, had studiously worked to reconcile the opposing sides and
succeeded in doing so in December.
On 5th January 2021, leaders of the GCC - Saudi Arabia, the
UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman- attended the al-Ula summit in Saudi
Arabia in which they signed a reconciliation deal, putting an end to the years long
GCC crisis.
“There have been no concessions from any side (...) the GCC
crisis was a lose-lose situation for everyone, so ending this crisis, I think,
will be a gain for everyone”, al-Khater said of the deal.
According to al-Khater, Doha has emerged stronger from the
crisis, at least from an economic point of view, as in the past three and a
half years it has “diversified its supply chains and reinforced its position as
one of the largest energy exporters globally.”
“The blockade was a situation we did not choose, for sure,
but we were able to live with it and sustain the situation. Ending the blockade
is about the collective interest of our entire region, not only in Qatar’s
interest,” the spokeswoman insisted.
Al-Khater’s remarks came after Qatar’s Foreign Minister
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called for dialogue between Iran and
its Arab neighbors to resolve outstanding differences, expressing hope that the
two sides would hold a summit to deescalate tensions.
“We are hopeful that this [summit] would happen and we still
believe that this should happen. And I think this is also a desire that being
shared among the other GCC countries. I just mentioned to you that there is a
difference between the countries on the way how to approach such a dialogue.
Also from the Iranian side, they have expressed their willingness several times
to engage with the GCC countries,” he said in a recent interview with Bloomberg
TV.
Bin Abdulrahman underlined that the time should come when
the Persian Gulf’s Arab states will sit at the table with Iran and reach a
common understanding. “We have to live with each other. We cannot change
geography. Iran cannot move the GCC away from its neighborhood and the GCC
cannot move Iran from the neighborhood,” he continued.
The chief Qatari diplomat also expressed readiness to
facilitate dialogue between Iran and the GCC states or back anyone facilitating
such a dialogue.
He also hoped that the much-anticipated talks between Iran
and the US on the 2015 nuclear deal –officially known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- would help ease tensions between Iran and
its Arab neighbors.
Bin Abdulrahman expressed hope that what will happen between
Iran and the US on the JCPOA would contribute to resolving the differences
between Iran and the GCC. “Of course, things are interconnected at the end of
the day,” he noted, adding that Qatar will support negotiations between the
stakeholders.
“We will be welcoming this idea. We maintain a good
relationship with the US and we maintain a good relationship with Iran,” bin
Abdulrahman stated.
Iran welcomed the Qatari call for dialogue between Iran and
the Persian Gulf’s Arab states, underlining that the solution to the region’s
challenges lies in cooperation to form a strong region free from foreign
interference.
“Iran welcomes my brother FM @MBA_AlThani's call for
inclusive dialogue in our region. As we have consistently emphasized, the
solution to our challenges lies in collaboration to jointly form a 'strong
region': peaceful, stable, prosperous & free from global or regional
hegemony,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet
following the Qatari foreign minister’s call for dialogue.
