President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said in a direct first mention to the Qatari crisis that the Gulf nation should show its desire of not harming the interests of the Arab countries and not to interfere in their internal affairs, through responding to the demands of the four Arab countries.
Egypt along with four Gulf countries, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab of Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain have suspended diplomatic ties with Qatar on 5 June, due to accusations of supporting and financing terrorist groups.
According to the statement, Al-Sisi said it is time to effectively address the parties supporting terrorism and pressure them to acknowledge their responsibility, alluding to the crisis with Qatar.
The statement came during his meeting with high-ranking US officials in his first day in New York. Al-Sisi arrived to the city on Sunday to participate in United Nations’ general assembly (UNGA), marking his fourth participation since taking office in 2014.
On the sidelines of the UNGA, the president met with a number of ministers, former security officials, and members of research centres and Jewish organisations.
Often, the president was referring to Qatar’s practices in indirect way, when he was urging in previous speeches foreign countries to stop supporting terrorism without referring to a specific country.
Moreover, on the sidelines of the UNGA, the foreign ministers of the four Arab states met and discussed the updates of the crisis with Qatar. Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sameh Shoukry, spoke about the meeting outcomes in a press conference, saying that it was “productive and positive.”
During the meeting, the four countries reiterated their solidarity against the Gulf nation practices.
They viewed the latest developments of the crisis and affirmed their readiness for a political solution in condition of Qatar’s response to the 13 demands and the 6 principles that have been adopted to ensure security and safety of the four Arab countries and the world.
Shoukry said that the Arab quartet aspires to establish normal relations with Qatar in case if it stopped supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of the countries of the region.
When was asked about the four Arab countries stance towards Qatari opposition, Shoukry said that “we are not interfering in the internal affairs of countries, as we call on Qatar to not interfere in the internal affairs of other states.”
In 23 June, the four Arab states declared a list of 13 demands to Qatar to solve the issue. The demands included shutting down Al Jazeera, cutting ties with Iran, ending military agreement with Turkey, stopping funding terrorist groups and Muslim Brotherhood affiliates, not interfering in the affairs of other countries, and cutting contacts with opposition groups in Arab countries.
