Page 74 - Mission Brief Qatar 2019 v2

6. BILATERAL ISSUES

A. DIPLOMATIC ROWS BETWEEN QATAR AND THE
GULF COUNTRIES

 On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt
severed all diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar.
Although rooted in long-standing tensions, the current
crisis seems to have been triggered by comments in
Qatari media reportedly made by the Emir of Qatar, His
Majesty Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that criticised
international policy towards Iran.

 To date, 10 countries have severed diplomatic relations
with Qatar, namely Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt,
Yemen, Maldives, Libya, Comoros, Mauritius and
Mauritania. According to Wisma Putra, Malaysia shall
remain neutral – therefore, Malaysia-Qatar relations shall
not be affected by this conflict.

 Malaysia-Qatar economic and trade relations are expected
not to be negatively impacted by the diplomatic row
between Qatar and few member states of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as the Arab League.

 Conversely, the diplomatic spat is expected to indirectly
spur Qatar’s import demands from countries beyond the
West Asian region, including Malaysia – particularly
demands for foodstuff and building materials.

 Potential areas for Qatari investments/ collaborations in
Malaysia include:

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