The European Union has called on Arab countries to “de-escalate the tensions and to engage in direct dialogue” following the ongoing crisis between Qatar and other Arab states in the region.
Speaking after her arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday, EU foreign affairs head, Federica Mogherini, said: “Any difficulty, any tension, can be and must be resolved at a table, discussing, in dialogue, finding common ways, and politically,” Aljazeera reported.
“We invite all to de-escalate the tensions and to engage in direct dialogue. No unilateral steps,” she added.
Mogherini said the European Union has a “direct interest” in having the dispute resolved, considering that the Persian Gulf countries are its partners in fighting “terrorism”, in resolving other regional conflicts, and in developing the region’s economy.
“The region is already fragile enough, dangerous enough, and we are starting to see dangerous spillovers already both in the broader region but also in Africa and in Asia.
“There are worrying signals. So we really invite all to find a way to solve any tension, any controversies, at a table, discussing through dialogue, politically, without exacerbating tensions.
“It is always possible and even more so has to be possible among countries that belong to the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Countries.”
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen cut diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting “terrorism”.
Qatar has denied the accusations, calling the moves to diplomatically isolate it “unjustified”.
