The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) continues to function despite crisis with Qatar.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted saying that the upcoming summit in Riyadh and the presidency of Oman indicate that “the Gulf Cooperation Council carries on despite the Qatari crisis. The main success of the Council is in its economic agenda and the creation of a Gulf common market,” he said.

The UAE Minister also said: “The political crisis will end when the cause behind it ends and that is Qatar’s support of extremism and its interference in the stability of the region.”

According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s king Salman Bin Abdulaziz invited Qatar’s Emir to attend the December 9 gathering of heads of states but Doha has not yet said what level of representation it would send. The GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

At last year’s summit, held in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain sent ministers or deputy prime ministers.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:54 - GMT 06:54