ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Arab Republic of Egypt have affirmed that the measures they have taken against the State of Qatar are within their sovereign and legal rights in line with the international laws and the United Nations Security Council Resolutions No 2309 and 1373 on countering all forms of terrorism and that they comply with the Convention on International Civil Aviation “Chicago Convention 1994”, including all its complementary arrangements on regulating international air travel.
This has been stated by an official delegation representing the four nations during a visit to the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, in Montreal Canada, on June 15. The delegation comprised Sulaiman Bin Abdullah Al Hamdan, Saudi Minister of Transport, Mohammad Ahmed Kamal, Bahrain Minister of Transport, Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority of UAE, Hani Al-Adawi, Chairman of Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority, and Captain Abdel Hakim Al Badr, Assistant Chairman of the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.
The delegates met with ICAO Council President Dr Bernard Aliu, and Secretary General Dr Fang Liu, along with a number of top executives at the international organisation and briefed them on the measures taken in implementation of their countries’ decisions against Qatar.
The delegates responded to all the queries fielded by the international organisation, contesting all Qatari allegations that they stressed are aimed to mislead the international organisations and global community with misinformation about the current situation. They have presented circumstantial evidence, including maps, and precise data proving that the Qatari ports are open and their aircraft have full access to international routes and airspaces of other countries, and that the four countries have not imposed a blockade on Qatar.
The delegation have welcomed all channels of cooperation and coordination with ICAO in furtherance of its objectives to ensure security and safety for international air travel.
The delegates have reiterated their four countries’ sovereign rights to protect their airspaces against any threats or dangers.
— WAM
