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A man walks on the corniche in Doha, Qatar. Image Credit: REUTERS

Manama: An Arab bloc that is boycotting Qatar will continue forward without Qatar as Doha continues to promote policies and values that it does not practice itself, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash tweeted.

“The four states will continue to confront extremism and terrorism and work for Arab security and stability,” he said.

The standoff with Qatar would likely continue for “a while” and said “new regional relationships would form in the meantime."

Since the Qatar crisis has prevailed for so long, Gargash said it was important to move forward and come to terms with the new standard of relations in the Gulf which have replaced the old relationship.

“Qatar’s self-victimisation statements are staggering and the lack of sense of responsibility is completely absent. They want the impression that the four countries have taken action because the region needs more tension,” he posted on his Twitter account.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt on June 5 severed their diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar after they accused it of failing to comply with the Riyadh agreements it signed in 2013 and 2014 to end support for terrorism.

List of demands

The Quartet presented a list of demands to Qatar in order to resume their ties. 

However, Doha opted for media manoeuvres and mobilised international public relations companies that provided its leaders with talking points and statements that made Doha appear like an open-minded victim being bullied by its conservative neighbours.

Gargash, the most vociferous official voice in the Quartet, has regularly said Qatar was making a huge mistake by dodging the reality on the ground and opting for utter denials and using buzz words to mislead the world while tasking others with shaping international opinion in its favour.

New media discourse

“Suddenly, the fight against terrorism, sovereignty and non-interference have become national priorities for Qatar. We would love to believe this new media discourse, but the country’s record is right in front of us, replete with tragedies,” Gargash posted on Tuesday to his 456,160 followers on Twitter.

“Getting out of the crisis is hampered by refusing to acknowledge the harm you have caused to your neighbours. The lack of objectivity compounds the crisis in the corridors of complaints. This is a dark road that will not lead to positive results.”

Gargash who has regularly insisted on the significance of a Gulf solution to the crisis as the most appropriate way to end it, reiterated his stance.