Here’s what’s happened since last week’s updates.
Twitter users across Saudi Arabia have welcomed a decision to hoist Qatari flags in public in advance of the Arab League summit, saying they hoped it could serve as a starting point for a return to "brotherly relations" between the two neighbours, Al jazeera reported.
Dozens of Qatari flags were raised on lamp posts in the eastern city of Dammam on Thursday, which is due to host the summit on April 15. Doha has not yet decided on its representation level at the summit.
Last summer, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain collectively severed ties with Qatar, creating one of the biggest crises in inter-Arab relations in recent history.
The four nations accuse Doha of supporting "terrorism", a claim vehemently denied by Qatar.
On April 15, Qatar announced that Ambassador Saif bin Muqaddam al-Buainain, its permanent ambassador to the Arab League, will head the Qatari delegation at the 29th Arab League Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The agenda of the Arab Summit includes18 items dealing with various Arab issues in the political, economic, social, security and other fields, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Israeli violations in Occupied Jerusalem, following up the political developments of the Palestinian cause, reviving the peace initiative and supporting the State of Palestine's budget and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in addition to the issue of the occupied Syrian Arab Golan and the solidarity with and support of Lebanon.
The British Ambassador to Qatar, Ajay Sharma, recently welcomed around 700 guests to the British Embassy to mark the 92nd birthday of H M Queen Elizabeth II and to celebrate the strong partnership between the UK and Qatar. At the event he said: "We support the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — which we want to be a huge success and as we support Qatar’s 2030 National Vision — in areas such as education, with British schools and universities, in healthcare, with British medical expertise and equipment, the diversification of the economy, including the development of SMEs, digital economy and food security,”
Qatar Chamber’s Vice Chairman Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Towar saidthat the volume of trade exchange between Qatar and Singapore reached about $ 6.4 billion at the end of last year, due to the interest of the Qatari private sector towards Asian countries including Singapore.
This came during a meeting held by Qatar Chamber on Monday, with a Singapore trade delegation visiting Doha under the chairmanship of Chairman of Singapore Business Federation Siong Seng Teo. The two sides discussed prospects and enhancing cooperation in various investment fields, and possible opportunities to create economic partnerships that benefit the economies of both countries.
He said that Singapore is an investment destination that many Qatari businessmen want to take advantage of. He also reviewed the capabilities and potential of the Qatari economy, which proved its worth and managed to overcome the negative effects of the siege in a short period.
Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC) CEO Faisal Rashid Al Sahouti said that 120 companies have registered with Qatar Financial Center (QFC) since the siege was imposed on Qatar, an increase of 200 percent in investment volume compared to the same time last year.
In an interview with Al Raya Newspaper, Al Sahouti said the increase in investments despite the unjust siege reflects the investors' trust in the Qatari economy and the failure of the siege countries' plans to harm the economy.
The Qatari Defense Ministry tweeted Wednesday that Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Lieutenant-General Ghanem bin Shahin al-Ghanem attended the closing ceremony of the month-long “[Persian] Gulf Shield 1” drills on Monday at the invitation of his Saudi counterpart, Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwayli.
The military exercise involved tens of thousands of military personnel from 24 countries, including the US, the UK, Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt and Malaysia.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the maneuver was the largest of its kind in the region both in terms of troop numbers and participating countries.
What are your thoughts on these latest developments in the ongoing GCC crisis? Drop us a line and tell us your opinion in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to like and share this article?
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