Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have withdrawn their ambassadors from Qatar amid accusations that it has meddled in internal affairs

The three countries, who are all part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) along with Qatar, made the joint statement on Wednesday.

The statement claims that Qatar failed to commit to an agreement it signed three months ago in Riyadh.

Tensions between Qatar and the rest of the GCC have increased in recent years.

The joint statement said that during on a meeting on Monday in Riyadh, the three countries had made "major efforts to convince Qatar" to implement a 2013 GCC agreement on joint security.

"With the greatest regret" Qatar had failed to comply, the statement said, without going into specifics.

The recall of the ambassadors was therefore necessary to ensure "security and stability".

The incident is one of the most serious disagreements within the GCC in recent times.

Oil and gas-rich Qatar has been an increasingly vocal diplomatic player.

The state is home to the influential al-Jazeera news network, which broadcasts across the world and has been critical of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Qatar is seen as a major financial and diplomatic supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

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