Bahrain Mirror: Former Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani said he was surprised how the role of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has come to an end, and how the Council only convenes for the interests of the West.

"Should not the council meet the interests of the region as it meets the interests of friends?" He said in tweets posted on his Twitter account Wednesday night, (October 25, 2018). "How unfortunate! Do not reconcile, but protect the interests of the Council".

Hamad bin Jassim, who served as his country's foreign minister for nearly 21 years, criticized the council, saying that "it is not convening to discuss the current political, economic and military situation for the sake of the council's members on the pretext of boycotting."

"Fleeing from confrontation with those who disagree with you does not serve the region in these circumstances," he added.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced severing ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017 after accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, but Qatar denies the charges and says the pressure is aimed at stripping it of its sovereignty.

Arabic Version