Rabat – Qatar’s foreign minister has praised Morocco for maintaining neutrality and providing mediation in the Gulf crisis, which saw Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain sever ties with Doha.
In an interview with pan-African magazine JeuneAfrique, Minister Mohammed Ibn Abderrahmane Al Thani said his country was not surprised by Morocco’s neutral stance despite its strong relations with Saudi Arabia.
“Moroccans have always been reliable partners,” he said, and the kingdom “knows that this crisis is unfounded.”
Further, due to the efforts led by Morocco along with Kuwait to bridge the gap between the warring Gulf, the minister called the kingdom a “precious mediator.”
After the announcement of the three Gulf countries of their decision to cut relations with Qatar and impose an embargo on it, Morocco sought to alleviate the tension between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members.
Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs, toured the region in June as an envoy of King Mohammed VI in an attempt to bring together the Gulf nations.
Bourita met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and Emir Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait.
The kingdom also helped alleviate the embargo on Qatar by sending food supply to the Gulf nation during Ramadan.
No Relation with Moulay Hicham
Meanwhile, the Qatari minister denied that his country has any relationship with Prince Moulay Hicham.
The cousin of King Mohammed VI was expelled from Tunisia on September 8 before a lecture he was scheduled to deliver about security in the region.
Some reports by media outlets, including JeuneAfrique, suggested that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, unhappy with the prince’s supportive views of the Arab Spring, made the request to expel Moulay Hicham.
The reports also mentioned alleged ties between the prince and Doha, something which the Qatari chief diplomat said was inaccurate.
“We have no relation with Moulay Hicham and no idea what might have happened,” he said in an apparent refusal to engage in speculations.
