UAE to reopen all entry points with Qatar on Saturday
An Emirati man walks past a Qatar Airways aircraft in Dubai. File/ AFP
The UAE will reopen all of its land, sea and air entry points with Qatar starting on Saturday.
Khalid Abdullah Belhoul, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, announced that the UAE will begin to end all measures that were taken against the State of Qatar according to the statement issued on June 5, 2017, following the signing of the “Al-Ula Declaration” containing the permanent solidarity agreement, which is considered an achievement.
Belhoul said that the UAE will work to reopen all land, sea and air ports for incoming and outgoing movement, and that the relevant authorities in the UAE have been instructed with these measures, which will be activated as of January 9.
Belhoul added that the UAE will work with Qatar to end all other outstanding issues through bilateral talks.
Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said the return of mobility and trade among the GCC countries as per the Al Ula agreement will be within a week.
“The crisis could not be permanent; it was harsh in the media but there were no negative acts on the ground,” he added.
The Al Ula Declaration, which was the result of a Saudi commendable effort and Kuwaiti and US mediation, puts in place a mechanism for several committees to work on and talks about eliminating boycott measures within a week, he said, adding that there are bilateral tracks to address all issues among the GCC countries.
“The UAE believes that the GCC solidarity decision is correct and that this crisis was not the first but rather the gravest,” Gargash said.
“We have overcome the most formidable challenges and there is regional and global satisfaction with the decision to end the crisis that is seen as a conflict at home,” he added.
Gargash explained that the UAE’s role in Yemen has practically ended, noting that the UAE believes that GCC solidarity is the right decision and there is a need to strengthen this solidarity.
He stressed the need to build trust between the four countries and Qatar and the UAE is hereby opening a new page and paving the way to another phase aimed at avoiding major or minor crises.
Media is a mirror that fuels a crisis and adds to it but it is not the basis for creating a crisis, he said.
“We are glad that we have turned the page of this crisis and are looking forward to the GCC future as the UAE is working to implement the Al Ula Agreement.
