Qatar: ‘No Justification’ for Cutting Diplomatic Ties

Qatar said there is “no legitimate justification” for several nations cutting diplomatic ties after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives announced they would suspend relations with the Gulf state.

The Saudi kingdom made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early on Monday, saying it was taking action for what it called the protection of national security.

The news agency released a statement in which it accused Qatar of “harbouring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region”.

Reacting to the fallout, Qatar explained that the decision was in “violation of its sovereignty”, vowing to its citizens and hundreds of thousands of residents that the measures would not affect them.

“The measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact,” the statement said, adding that the decisions would “not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents.

“The aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its [Qatar’s] sovereignty as a state,” it added.

Qatar’s foreign ministry made the statement hours after the Saudi announcement, but before Yemen’s internationally backed government, which no longer holds its capital and large portions of the country.

Libya’s out-of-mandate Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni later joined the Arab nations in saying they too would cut ties.

As part of the measures, Saudi Arabia said it would pull Qatari support from the Yemen war.

Airspace and sea traffic would also be affected, with major Saudi and UAE-based airlines announcing they would stop flying to the Qatari capital, Doha.

Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national carrier, said it would suspend flights to and from Qatar starting on Tuesday. Emirates, a Dubai-based airline, and FlyDubai, the emirate’s budget airline, quickly followed suit.

It was unclear how other airlines would react. Saudi Arabia had called on “brotherly” countries to join its measures against Qatar.

The UAE said in a statement it was cutting off all ties with Qatar. It also ordered Qatari citizens to leave the country within 14 days and banned its citizens from travelling to Qatar.

Later on Monday, the Qatari embassy in Abu Dhabi asked citizens to leave the UAE within 14 days.

“Qatari citizens must leave the UAE within 14 days, in accordance with the statement issued by the concerned Emirati parties,” the embassy said in a tweet, adding that those who cannot travel directly to Doha should go through Kuwait or Oman.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from Doha within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

Egypt also announced the closure of its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation “to protect its national security”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Later on Monday, the Maldives said in a statement that it took the decision to sever diplomatic ties “because of its firm opposition to activities that encourage terrorism and extremism”.