Turkey, Iran help wealthy Qatar thrive, 1 year into blockade
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — It’s been a year since three of Qatar’s neighbours plus Egypt severed ties with the Gulf state, cut off exports, expelled their citizens and banned Qatari flights from using their airports and airspace.
The tiny country has weathered the storm by drawing from its substantial cash reserves, deepening alliances with Turkey and Iran, and using its strategic location in the Persian Gulf as the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas to continue shipments to major world powers.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt launched the blockade on June 5 last year to pressure Qatar to change its policies. The group, angered by Doha’s support for opposition Islamist groups and its ties with Iran, accused the Gulf state of working to destabilize the region and of harbouring and supporting terrorists. They made sweeping demands that Qatar change course, shutter its flagship Al Jazeera Arabic news channel and kick out Turkish troops from a base there.
Qatar has rejected the accusations and the demands, calling the blockade a politically motivated attempt to undermine its sovereignty.