(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Doha: French Envoy for the Gulf Countries Bertrand Besancenot affirmed the presence of signs of calming and a firm desire to end the unjust siege on Qatar in line with the will of Kuwait, France and the United States to lift the siege and end the crisis, adding that dialogue is the only solution to end the crisis that harms everyone.
Besancenot said that France supports the Kuwaiti mediation and Qatar's strong desire to end the current situation.
In an interview with Qatari newspaper, Al-Sharq, Besancenot noted that the French President Emmanuel Macron has given special attention to resolving the Gulf crisis through serious participation in the international mediation network in order to help get out of the crisis and end the unjust siege on Qatar.
The French envoy warned that the Gulf crisis has dangerous consequences to everybody, undermines the collective image of the Gulf and obstruct the security, political and commercial cooperation, and even the return of international investment to the region.
France is aware of the negative impacts of the siege on the people of Qatar and the region. The President of France has expressed his deep concern over the negative consequences of the siege at the humanitarian level and called on the siege countries to lift it immediately, Besancenot said, noting that resolving the crisis may take time, but added that France's ally, the United States, is also interested in resolving the issue which would contribute to ending the crisis. "We all play our roles and we hope to reap the fruits of the international efforts, first and foremost the efforts of the Emir of Kuwait," he said.
Besancenot praised the policy of the Emir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to end the Gulf crisis and his proposal for dialogue with leaders of the siege countries.
He said that the Emir of Qatar has taken many measures to preserve the unity of the people and overcome the impact of the siege by ensuring food security and the trend towards industrialization and self-sufficiency, which is excellent and consistent with his wise 2030 vision which aims at providing alternative sources of income for gas and oil in the future.
Qatar is progressing, thriving, growing stronger, becoming more self-reliant, and creating major international alliances despite the siege, the French envoy underlined.
At the political level, the French envoy said that the Emir of Qatar has always reiterated his hope to dialogue with his partners in the GCC, particularly Saudi Arabia. The Emir took several important measures to reassure his partners who had a real concern in the midst of their war against terrorism, especially his allies in France and the United States, regarding transparency in the field of preventing funding extremist groups.
He highlighted the strong concrete measures taken by the Qatari authorities by signing treaties, security agreements and strategic partnership with the United States, as well as France during the visit of the French to Doha, which promote the cooperation in combating terrorism and its financing.
"The position of Qatar is very clear. Qatar is fighting terrorism and stresses its keenness on dialogue. We believe that dialogue is the only solution to end the crisis that harms everyone and we are aware of Doha's strong desire to get out of this situation. Therefore, France supports the Kuwaiti mediation and the Qatari desire and its policy. I note that these data led to signs of calming in the region than it was at the beginning of the crisis," the French envoy said, referring to the GCC summit in Kuwait and the meeting between representatives of the Advisory Councils of the six countries, as well as the participation of the GCC teams in football matches.
"All these are small gestures but they mean a lot to us, in particular, that the Gulf Cooperation Council continues to work and that is more important to us".
Speaking about the relations between Qatar and France, Besancenot underlined the depth of relations between the two countries, in light of the recent visit of President Emmanuel Macron to the State of Qatar, as well as the large joint ventures between the two countries and the horizons of future cooperation, saying: "France and Qatar have a similar political and diplomatic vision in many files. Today we can stress that the French-Qatari bilateral relations have been and will remain, very solid. They are based on ancient historical roots and the consensus of visions in several fields".
The French envoy praised the cooperation of the two countries even at the cultural, scientific and technical levels as well as the participation of France in major projects such as the metro and the 2022 World Cup projects. The French institutions in Qatar are investing in infrastructure, energy, environment and modern technologies. The two countries have signed contracts worth more than 16 billion euros in defense, transport, aircraft and pollution control, especially during President Macron's visit to Qatar. Security and defense cooperation between Qatar and France is also the cornerstone of bilateral cooperation.
Concluding, Besancenot expressed his optimism about the situation, saying: "The situation is difficult and complex, but it is not impossible. Arab countries share the same destiny and history, face the same threats and risks. It is in the interest of all Arab and Gulf countries to restore their normal relations with Qatar. It is in everyone's interest to resolve this crisis and there is no desire of a state in the region to continue the siege," stressing the importance of the resumption of dialogue soon between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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