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QNA
Brussels
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani said differences must be resolved through dialogue, not blockade.
He called for a regional security partnership among all the countries in the Middle East.
In a speech before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Sheikh Mohammed stressed that Qatar adopts a method of change and constructive criticism for development, noting that for the past year it had been calling for dialogue.
"Qatar has repeatedly invited its neighbours to the negotiation table and asked them to clarify their position and the reasons for the blockade and have not received a response," he said.
Sheikh Mohammed said the siege countries have been continuing to escalate the crisis, ignoring calls from the international community to engage in dialogue to resolve the dispute."Our region cannot bear more crises, and we have enough problems on the table and that there are many negative effects on stability in this region," he added.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed the need to establish a regional security partnership among all the countries of the Middle East.
"If you look carefully at the crises in the Middle East, you will find that the same countries are involved in these crises, and we want them to come to the dialogue table to adopt the principle of collective security and contribute to pushing it forward," he noted.
He said the European Union can play a constructive role, pointing out that everything that happens in this region affects it, whether in the form of refugee flows or the spread of transnational terrorism.
He noted the escalation in the Middle East since last year, especially in Yemen and Syria, the spread of cross-border terrorism and, finally, the Gulf crisis.
Sheikh Mohammed said the Middle East needs to create a culture of collective regional security, but unfortunately some regional forces sought to destabilise the region and violate international law."The political manoeuvres that we are seeing in the Middle East and the aggressive and non-constructive actions that harm regional security and create a vacuum represent the ideal environment for the growth and spread of extremism and terrorism," he said.
On Yemen crisis, the Deputy PM said Qatar does not support the position of Iran or any other party in the destruction of Yemen, nor does it support the position of the Arab alliance.
He said the solution lies in bringing all parties to the negotiation table.
"We see the situation in Yemen. We were part of the alliance in the beginning of 2015, because the aim was to reach a political solution and to bring Yemenis together on the GCC initiative, but the whole direction has changed," he said.
"We now see secret prisons, torture and conflicting agendas among the coalition countries, and we do not see any progress on a political solution. Qatar will never support the position of Iran or any other party in the devastation of Yemen," he added.
