By the Gazette Editorial Board The Kingdom of Bahrain categorically denied allegations made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that like Doha, Manama had suffered from the boycott imposed by the Arab Quartet on Qatar. The Turkish foreign minister claimed that it was his Bahraini counterpart, Khaled Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, who had disclosed the sufferings of Bahrain. In a sharply-worded statement, Bahrain's Foreign Ministry firmly dismissed Cavusoglu's claims as ‘utterly false and baseless'. "Such outrageous allegations come as a result of the absence of credibility; and the flagrant violation of a professional code," the statement by the Foreign Ministry of Bahrain said. The Bahraini ministry asserted that the Arab Quartet (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE) found it unavoidable and urgent to impose a boycott on Qatar after it attempted to shake their sovereignty and violate their rights. "In the meantime, the imposition of the boycott came after the four countries had exhausted futilely all other persuasive contacts to stop Doha from meddling belligerently in their internal affairs," the Bahraini Foreign Ministry said. The statement also disclosed that the proposal to boycott Doha had become unavoidable after Qatar had deliberately ignored its commitments in agreements it had previously signed. Those commitments included chiefly that Doha should abandon its huge financing of terrorists, irrespective of their political or ideological hues. The statement further made it clear that the boycott was calculated so carefully that the Qatari people remained safe throughout the boycott. Doha was given a list of 13 demands to fulfil, otherwise its Gulf neighbours (Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain) plus Egypt would get tough with it. Qatar's Emir Tamim Bin Hamad had previously promised his Gulf neighbours that he was ready to co-operate sincerely with them to help them overcome their concerns and dispel their worries. Ankara's pretence defence and sympathy for Doha should not stir up any measure of surprise or argument. Like Doha, Ankara is accused of sponsoring IS terrorists by opening training camps on its territory for them and providing them with a safe corridor through which to infiltrate Syria. The two countries have complementary roles: Doha pays money; and Ankara offers logistical and military help to terrorists prowling the region to instigate instability and catastrophic chaos, irrespective of the tragic fact that the casualties are millions of innocent people, including women and children. Ankara must have realised that Qatar's situation under the boycott is getting worse. Doha is now knocking at every door seeking help. It is all the more outrageous that while it is writhing in pain under the boycott, Qatar remains stubborn, refusing to show goodwill and stop providing a safe haven to preachers of ideological violence and their fighters and other elements. The Arab Quartet has repeatedly said that without sincerely complying with its obligations to the Arab Quartet, Qatar should not count on regional or external mediators to help lift the boycott.
