A number of Arab countries have severed relations with Qatar. Persian Gulf vs Qatar. Causes of the conflictPlot. How little Qatar conquered a large region

On the night of June 5, Bahrain announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Qatar and its intention to interrupt air and sea communications with this country. Soon, similar statements were made by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. According to Al Arabiya, Yemen then joined them. All these countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorist groups and trying to influence their domestic policies in cooperation with Iran. Following them, Libyan leader General Khalifa Haftar, who opposes the UN-backed government, announced a break with Qatar. About it reports Al Jazeera. The interim government of Libya under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Abdurrahman al-Thani made this decision out of solidarity, Mohammed al-Dairi, head of the Foreign Ministry of the eastern government of Libya, told Sky News Arabiya. As TASS reports, on behalf of this structure, he accused Doha of “numerous and ongoing attacks on the dignity of the Libyan people after the February 17 revolution, which has long caused indignation and anger among broad sections of Libyan society.” This decision was then supported by the Republic of Maldives, TASS reports citing Al-Arabiya.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said a few hours later that this decision had no legitimate basis and that it violated the sovereignty of the emirate, AP reports. At the same time, the department assured that this decision will not affect the lives of ordinary citizens in any way. “Doha regrets the decision of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain to sever relations and considers this measure unjustified, based on unsubstantiated allegations,” TASS quoted the statement as saying. Doha also regrets “the closure of borders with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.”

Allegations against Qatar

Bahrain on Monday morning accused Qatar of supporting armed terrorist groups, financing Iranian groups that are trying to carry out sabotage in Bahrain, and attempting incitement through the media. This was stated in a brief statement by the Bahrain Foreign Ministry, which was reported by the state news agency.

Riyadh, through the state agency SPA, accused Doha of systematically trying to split the Saudis, undermine the kingdom's sovereignty and support various terrorist and sectarian groups that are trying to destabilize the situation in the region. Al-Arabiya reports this. In particular, Saudi Arabia suspects Qatar of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State (banned in Russia) and Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) and of supporting pro-Iranian terrorist groups operating in Saudi Arabia.

The UAE in its statement noted that Qatar threatens stability and security in the region and tried to manipulate the terms of previously concluded agreements between the Gulf countries.

Egypt reproached Qatar for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt said their diplomats would leave Qatar and gave Qatari citizens two weeks to leave, Reuters reported. The UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have interrupted air and sea communications with Qatar, and Saudi Arabia has also closed the land border. Saudi Arabia, which leads the international coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, also said Qatari troops would no longer participate in the military operation.

It later became known that Doha asked its citizens to leave the UAE within two weeks. According to Reuters, this was reported by the Qatari Embassy in Abu Dhabi on social networks. Those who cannot get to Qatar directly are advised to travel through Kuwait or Oman.

Air traffic and quotes

Abu Dhabi-based state airline Etihad Airways said it would suspend flights to Qatar from June 6. Al Arabiya reported that many flights were delayed and canceled at Doha International Airport. Then it became known that the Emirati companies FlyDubai and Emirates were going to suspend flights to Qatar, Reuters reports. Also from Tuesday, Air Arabia is suspending flights to Doha, which promised passengers who had already purchased tickets to reimburse ticket costs or offer flights to other destinations. Then Qatar Airways, one of the largest airlines in the region, announced through its website that it was stopping flights to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports. The agency recalls that the company's planes regularly fly through the kingdom's airspace. According to TASS, the suspension was also reported by Egypt Air and Saudi Arabia. The largest airline in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air, will suspend flights between Manama and Doha from midnight on June 6, TASS reports citing Al-Arabiya TV channel.

On this news, oil prices went up. August Brent futures on the London ICE Futures exchange reached $50.48 per barrel on Monday morning, Reuters reports. On Friday, trading closed at $49.95 per barrel. By 9.35 Moscow time, the contract price was $50.37 per barrel, by 10.58 Moscow time it had adjusted to $50.24 per barrel. The conflict has not affected oil supplies, but it creates a risk of interruptions in the export of raw materials from the region, Interfax quotes experts as saying. According to the US Department of Energy, the Strait of Hormuz, through which oil supplies from the Middle East are carried out, accounts for about 30% of the oil supplied by sea. The Qatari stock index QE All Share collapsed by 7.6% during trading, while other market indicators – Qatar Ex and QE TR – are losing more than 7%, Interfax reports.

Possible consequences

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson does not think that the current escalation will affect cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State, but called on the Gulf countries to resolve all differences through dialogue. As Fox News reports, the head of the State Department commented on the situation in Australia, where he is on a visit. According to him, it was noticeable that mutual distrust between these countries had been brewing for quite a long time and now it had “boiled” and reached the point where it was time to resolve all differences. “We will, of course, welcome the parties’ decision to sit down at the negotiating table to resolve their differences,” he said. The United States has several military bases in the region, including the position of the American military at the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar. Central Command has not yet responded to a Reuters request about the possible consequences of current political decisions. The US Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, also did not respond to the agency's request.

Closing borders and breaking diplomatic ties is not a way out of the crisis, said Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He is convinced that aggression will result in increased instability. He is quoted by Reuters. He also suggested that the United States was behind the countries that opposed Qatar.

If the borders with Qatar are closed for a long enough time, this could affect the 2022 FIFA World Cup in that country, Christian Ulriksen, an expert on the Gulf countries of the American Baker Institute, told Reuters. His impression is that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are encouraged by the alignment of their regional interests regarding Iran and Islamists with the Trump administration's policies. “They decided to respond to Qatar’s alternative approaches, assuming that they would be supported by the US administration,” the analyst said. FIFA Reuters stated that they are in regular contact with the organizing committee of the 2022 World Cup; the organization will not make any other comments for now.

Russia does not see any big risks of the deal to reduce production by OPEC and non-OPEC countries being disrupted due to current decisions, a source close to the Russian Ministry of Energy told Interfax. “For example, Iran and Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with each other in early 2016, but this did not prevent the deal,” he said, adding that the issue would still be discussed at the next meeting of the ministerial monitoring committee in July. An official representative of the ministry declined to comment.

The Kremlin refused to comment on the accusations against Doha, Interfax reports. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not like to answer the question of whether there is any basis in these accusations. He also did not answer the question whether Russia will help Qatar, calling it incorrect. The official recalled that Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of other states, but is interested in developing relations with the Gulf countries and advocates maintaining peace and stability there. “President Putin has repeatedly emphasized that we do not interfere and do not like it when people interfere in our affairs,” Peskov recalled. He also said that Russia values its relations with the Persian Gulf region as a whole and with different countries separately: “Investment, trade and economic cooperation, and cooperation in quite sensitive areas are actively underway.”

When asked how the situation around Qatar could affect cooperation in the fight against terrorism, Peskov noted: “Russia, as an active participant in the general process of combating international terrorism, hopes that this situation will in no way affect the general mood and determination in the fight against terrorism , the relevance, urgency and lack of alternatives of which are demonstrated by tragic events, including the recent events in London.”

History of exacerbation

The deterioration of relations in the Middle East began with the appearance on the website of the state Qatari news agency of comments on behalf of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, about support for Iran, Hezbollah and Israel and that US President Donald Trump would not remain in power for long. Doha said the agency's website was hacked and the comments were fake and had nothing to do with the emir. However, Qatar's neighbors reacted sharply to the incident and blocked the broadcasting of Qatari media on their territories, including the Al-Jazeera TV channel. The crisis worsened after Trump's visit to the region. The AP recalls that Arab countries have long criticized Qatar for supporting radical Islamists, in particular the Sunni political movement “Muslim Brotherhood,” which is banned in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In March 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain recalled ambassadors from Doha after Qatar expressed support for Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, who ran in the elections as a Muslim Brotherhood candidate; the ambassadors then returned to Qatar, and to maritime and The air blockade of Qatar did not reach the point.

Qatar has repeatedly denied that it funds extremists. The AP notes that the country remains the key “financial backer” of the Gaza Strip, which is now led by Hamas; Hamas leader Khaled Meshal has lived in Qatar since 2012.

A total of seven states - Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Libya and the Maldives - severed diplomatic relations with neighboring Qatar on Monday. Muslim countries accused Qatar of “stirring up” the situation in the region, in particular, of supporting terrorist groups and interfering in the affairs of neighboring countries. What does such a diplomatic step mean for Russia and the world - in the material “360”.

Back in the spring of 2014, Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia recalled their ambassadors from Qatar, accusing the emirate of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization banned in Russia.

On Monday night, a more serious diplomatic step followed - Bahrain announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Qatar. Within a few hours, six more countries joined it.

This was a continuation of the scandal that occurred back in May, when the Qatari agency QNA published the words of Emir Tamim al-Thani about his intention to recall the ambassador from Saudi Arabia and improve relations with Iran, which has rather difficult relations with the Arab world - and because of the sensational nuclear program , religious differences and a number of other reasons. Later, the Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that the agency’s website was hacked and the words attributed to the emir actually had nothing to do with him. But the Arab states found this denial rather unconvincing.

The head of the HSE School of Oriental Studies, Alexey Maslov, said that such a diplomatic step is unprecedented for the Muslim world.

“In the Arab world, this is, of course, an unprecedented case - basically the split occurred along other lines - between the Arab world and Israel, between the Arab world and the United States,” the expert believes.

The decision to sever relations was made, in fact, by the key leaders of the Arab world, and this immediately reduces Qatar’s political status in the world, moreover, leaving very few options for improving the economic situation.

Qatar is essentially isolated - if you look at the map, it is essentially surrounded by the Arab world, and finally, it is important for the Arab countries to show that terrorism is not part of their world, that the Muslim world does not equal terrorism
Alexey Maslov.

Maslov believes that despite the complexity of the situation, this was a very painful decision for the states, since previously the Arab world acted as a single space, connected not only by the bonds of Islam, but also by family and ethnic ones - after all, in fact, a single ethnic group lives in the Persian Gulf.

Arab unity, no matter how fragile it may be, is a very important factor, especially regarding trade and maintaining economic balance.

“In particular, a number of airlines operate through Qatar, which are serviced by Arab airlines. Obviously, these flights will be interrupted, and therefore serious financial losses are expected. On the other hand, the losses will probably be small. For Saudi Arabia this is nothing, for Egypt it is more. But here they all lose their status as an unshakable Muslim stronghold, which acted as a united front. But it was precisely the thesis of the fight against terrorism that outweighed all other considerations,” Maslov said.

The effect of such a diplomatic “shake-up” will be noticeable not only at the regional but also at the global level, Maslov noted. After all, the Muslim world occupies an important place at the heart of global development, and both sides cannot live without mutual involvement.

The Arab world's economy is largely outward looking - it serves very little of itself. Its partners are both the United States and China - countries that are strongly opposed to such actions. From an image point of view, this is a very serious step forward.
Alexey Maslov.

The expert noted that such a step would be a plus for Russia as well - Moscow has repeatedly indicated where the sources of terrorism are, pointing out that these are not “crazy people”, but a massive, well-thought-out and enforceable “ideological charge.”

“Russia has never pointed a finger at Qatar, but has pointed out that a hotbed of terrorism is brewing in the Middle East,” Maslov noted.

He suggested that in connection with what had happened, a slight rise in oil prices was possible, but not for long, since Qatar did not play the only key role in oil supplies.

Candidate of Economic Sciences Sergei Chernykh believes that the decision of a number of Arab countries to sever relations with Qatar will ultimately only be a plus for countries outside the region.

In the end, everyone will only sigh from such a gap, because Qatar has long been a hotbed of terrorist financing
Sergey Chernykh.

He suggested that fluctuations in oil prices are indeed possible, but these changes will have very little impact on the global situation, since the current center of confrontation is now shifted to the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, such a situation is unlikely to affect the Russian economy, since now the price of oil does not play a strong role on the situation in our country, Chernykh noted.

Why are Arab countries breaking off relations with Qatar?

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (left, foreground) and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa (right, foreground)

Bahrain is breaking off diplomatic relations with Qatar, Reuters reports citing the kingdom's state media. Manama accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of Bahrain.

Air and sea communications between the countries have been suspended. Bahrain also ordered its citizens to leave Qatar within 14 days.

Qatari nationals also have two weeks to leave Bahrain, and Qatari diplomats are given 48 hours, Al Arabiya reports.

Qatar “wreaked havoc in Bahrain, blatantly violating all agreements and principles of international law, without taking into account values, rights, morals, trampling on the principles of good neighborliness and commitment to permanent relations between the Gulf countries, rejecting all previous commitments,” it notes in the statement.

In turn, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar and stopped transport links with it. As stated in Riyadh, this step is necessary to protect the kingdom from “terrorism and extremism.” Saudi Arabia called on "all brotherly countries and companies to do the same."

Following Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Egypt announced the severance of relations with Qatar and the cessation of communications, also accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, including the extremist organization “Muslim Brotherhood”.

The UAE also supported the move, stressing that Qatar was “undermining security” in the region. Qatari diplomats have been given 48 hours to leave the country.

According to RIA Novosti, the conflict between Qatar and its neighbors occurred a week after the summit of the Gulf countries and the United States in Riyadh, when the Qatar News Agency posted a speech on behalf of the emir in support of building relations with Iran. At the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on behalf of all the guests at the meeting, condemned Iran for its hostile policies and threatened an adequate response. Later, a representative of the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that the agency's website was hacked, and the speech on behalf of the emir was published by hackers and had no relation to the Qatari leader.

However, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain found the denial unconvincing and continue to insist that the words about normalizing relations with Iran really belong to the emir. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash called on Qatar to change its policy and not repeat previous mistakes in order to restore relations with its neighbors.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia, formed to fight rebels in Yemen, has accused Qatar of supporting the terrorist organizations Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, Al Arabiya reports.

Based on this accusation, the coalition suspended Qatar's participation in the Yemen operation.

Earlier, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Qatar. Air and sea communications with Doha have been suspended.

Arab countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the situation in the region. Egypt, in particular, said that Doha supports the Muslim Brotherhood.

Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Russia are included in the list of terrorist organizations, for participation in whose activities criminal liability is provided.

The conflict between Qatar and its neighbors occurred a week after the summit of the Gulf countries and the United States in Riyadh. The Qatar News Agency posted a speech on behalf of the emir in support of building relations with Iran. At the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on behalf of all the guests at the meeting, condemned Iran for its hostile policies and threatened an adequate response. A representative of the Qatari Foreign Ministry said later that the agency's website was hacked, and a speech on behalf of the emir was published by hackers and had no relation to the Qatari leader.

Source Lenta.ru

On Monday, June 5, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies announced they were severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, citing the tiny state's tolerance of Iran and Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt decided to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar just a week after US President Donald Trump visited the region and joined Saudi Arabia in criticizing Iran for supporting terrorists in countries from Syria to Yemen.

1. What caused the diplomatic friction?

It's mainly about Iran. The spark that ignited this fire was a report by the Qatari state news agency, which included comments from Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who criticized the rise of anti-Iranian sentiment. Qatari officials quickly deleted the comment, blamed it on hackers and urged people to remain calm. Criticism from the Saudi Arabian and UAE media escalated after Sheikh Tamim made a phone call to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over the weekend, showing clear disdain for Saudi Arabia's views.

2. Is it all about tensions between Sunnis and Shiites?

Partly. The Shiite-led Islamic Republic of Iran is the main regional rival of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia. The two major oil exporters support opposing sides in several conflicts, including in Syria. Explaining the decision to cut diplomatic ties, Saudi Arabia cited Qatar's support for "terrorist groups seeking to destabilize the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State and al-Qaeda" (terrorist organizations banned in the region). territory of the Russian Federation - editor's note). She also accused Qatar of supporting “Iran-sponsored terrorist groups” that operate in the kingdom’s eastern province, as well as in Bahrain.

3. Why did the rupture of diplomatic relations occur now?

The situation became noticeably tenser after Trump's visit. Days after Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz called Iran the world's top sponsor of terrorism, the kingdom and the UAE accused Qatar of trying to thwart plans to isolate Iran. Sheikh Tamim was criticized by newspapers, spiritual leaders and even celebrities. Al Jazeera's Riyadh affiliate accused him of stabbing his neighbors with an Iranian dagger.

4. What do analysts say?

Context

Cyberwar in the Persian Gulf immediately after Trump's visit. Coincidence?

Essada 06/01/2017

Al-Jazeera launched an information war against Russia

Al Bayan 05/31/2017

How little Qatar conquered a large region

Carnegie Moscow Center 05/13/2017 Inspired by the prospect of strengthening ties with the United States under the Trump administration, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to crush any opposition that seeks to weaken the united front fighting Iranian influence in the Middle East. The two countries are also trying to pressure Qatar to stop providing aid to Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

5. What is Iran saying?

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was re-elected to a second four-year term in May, says his country is ready to begin negotiations to resolve the crisis. At the same time, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields more power than Rouhani, said the Saudi regime was experiencing some decline due to its policies in Yemen. In 2015, Saudi Arabia created a coalition of Sunni states to fight Shiite rebels in Yemen, allied to Iran, who had succeeded in overthrowing a Gulf-backed government. The war in Yemen continues.

6. Where else do the interests of Saudi Arabia and Iran collide?

The two states support opposite sides of conflicts in several countries in the region, from Syria to Yemen. Suspicions that Iran was behind cyberattacks on Saudi government agencies threatened to further heighten tensions between the two countries in late 2016. Earlier in 2016, following the execution of an influential Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, causing Saudi Arabia to sever diplomatic ties with Iran.

7. Is there anything new in the dispute with Qatar?

In 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily recalled their ambassadors from Qatar. Then the cause of friction was Egypt, where Qatar supported the Muslim Brotherhood government, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE sponsored a military coup. In addition, Hamas and Taliban leaders have found refuge in Qatar. Analysts say Saudi Arabia and its allies want to show Qatar - a country of 2.6 million people - that it is trying to punch above its strategic weight class.

8. Isn't Qatar trying to do this?

Now to a lesser extent. During the Arab Spring uprisings, Qatar's leadership supported groups calling for change—an outlier among Middle Eastern governments. Muslim Brotherhood groups have largely failed since then, and in 2014, facing threats from its Gulf neighbors, Qatar withdrew its support. Qatar also aims to become a leading mediator in the region. Its leaders maintain ties to a wide variety of parties, from warring tribes in Libya and the Taliban to the United States. On the other hand, by supporting certain parties in the Arab Spring revolutions, Qatar almost lost its status as a neutral mediator.

9. What else can be said about Qatar?

It is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and boasts the world's highest per capita income. Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The headquarters of the Al Jazeera television channel is also located there. When Saudi Arabia refused to host an American air control center in the region in 2003, Qatar offered its services. Today there are 10 thousand military personnel there. (In May, Trump held talks with Sheikh Tamim about Qatar's purchase of American military equipment. At the time, Trump said that the United States and Qatar had “been friends for a long time.”)

10. How will the severance of diplomatic ties affect markets?

Any friction in the region causes unrest in the markets. Disputes between Gulf countries could limit their attractiveness to foreign investors. Even before Trump's visit, Citigroup representatives noted that rising tensions between the United States and Iran could have a "significant" impact on oil and financial markets. Qatar securities lost 5% of their value.

11. How are current tensions different from previous ones?

“Internal divisions and disputes are nothing new, but the timing and the unprecedented level of pressure are particularly noteworthy,” said Mehran Kamrava, director of the Center for International Area Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar, referring to the recent visit Trump. This suggests that “Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to completely subjugate Qatar.”

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

The children's opera Brundibar, written by Czech composer Hans Krasa, is dedicated to the tragic events of the Second World War. The opera will be performed in concert by the St. Petersburg Children's Television and Radio Choir. A work with an amazing fate has become known

Event details

A work with an amazing fate became known to the whole world when in 1943 it was performed by little prisoners of the Theresienstadt concentration camp in the Czech Republic. The opera, calling for the fight against evil, was performed in the camp 55 times and became a symbol of resistance to fascism throughout the planet.

Today, Hans Kras's work is staged in theaters in Europe, North America, and Australia, and each time it is performed in memory of the children killed in concentration camps. The Russian-language version of “Brundibara” was performed for the first time in the spring of 2015, the anniversary year of the Great Victory.

The opera was written entirely for child actors, its duration is about 30 minutes. Bright, imaginative music, memorable melodies, complex and exquisite orchestration make the opera a wonderful work of art, attracting both the general public and professionals.

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