Turkish PM says Qatar tension should be reduced

Turkish premier says Qatar tension should be reduced otherwise the crisis could turn to a global problem

Turkish prime minister said Saturday that Qatar crisis could turn into a global problem if the tension goes up.

“A new problem area that may be created here [in Qatar] would not be limited inside the region,” Binali Yildirim addressed at a fast-breaking (iftar) dinner with business figures at Dolmabahce Prime Ministry Office in Istanbul.

“The risk of this issue becoming a global problem is very high due to geostrategic nature of the region,” he said.

Yildirim called on the parties in the tension to “act responsibly and contribute to reducing the tension rather than increasing it”.

He also said Turkey has made more efforts to ease the tension and added, “we are negotiating with the leaders of all the countries in the region and with our diplomatic counterparts and inviting the parties to calm down.”

Qatar to take legal action against Gulf states

On the other hand, Qatari groups said Saturday they will take legal action against a number of Gulf states that have issued a blockade against the country.

The head of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri said his organization would hire an international law firm to address damages the blockade has caused to citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The moves by the Gulf states amounts to a “collective punishment and international crime”, al Marri said at a press conference.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Yemen on Monday cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. They also imposed a land, sea, and air blockade.

A joint declaration on Thursday accused 59 individuals and 12 charity groups in Qatar of being “linked to terror”.

Qatar’s Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA), one of the accused organizations, condemned the accusations in a written statement.

RACA said legal action would be taken to protect the humanitarian working area and some of the blacklisted organizations have never faced such accusations from any of the more than 70 countries they have operated in.

Several organizations on the list have been praised for their development projects and humanitarian work with the UN, RACA added.