The foreign ministers of the four Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain issued a joint statement following their meeting in Cairo today on the Qatari crisis.

Following is the text of the statement read by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri:

“The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Bahrain met in Cairo on Wednesday, the 5th of July 2017 to consult on the ongoing efforts to stop the State of Qatar’s support for extremism and terrorism and its interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries and the threats against Arab national security and international peace and security due to Qatar’s policies.

“It was stressed that the position of the four countries is based on the importance of adherence to international conventions, charters and resolutions as well as the principles stipulated in the charters of the United Nations, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in addition to the conventions on combating international terrorism with emphasis on the following principles:

1. Commitment to combat extremism and terrorism in all its forms and to prevent their financing or the provision of safe havens.
2. Prohibiting all acts of incitement and all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred and violence.
3. Full commitment to Riyadh Agreement 2013 and the supplementary agreement and its executive mechanism for 2014 within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States.
4. Commitment to all the outcomes of the Arab-Islamic-US Summit held in Riyadh in May 2017.
5. Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of States and from supporting illegal entities.
6. The responsibility of all States of international community to confront all forms of extremism and terrorism as a threat to international peace and security.

“The four countries affirmed that supporting extremism, terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of the Arab countries is a matter that cannot be tolerated or procrastinated and that the list of demands made to the State of Qatar came within the framework of ensuring adherence to the six principles outlined above, protecting Arab national security, maintaining international peace and security, combating extremism and terrorism and providing appropriate circumstances to reach a political settlement of the region’s crises where it is no longer possible to tolerate the destructive role being played by the State of Qatar.

“The four Arab countries stressed that the measures taken and sustained by them are the result of the violation by the State of Qatar of its obligations and commitments under international law and its continued interference in the affairs of the Arab States and its support for extremism and terrorism and the consequent threats to the security of the region.

“The four countries expressed their thanks and appreciation to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, for his efforts and endeavor to resolve the crisis with the State of Qatar and expressed sorrow over negligence, lack of seriousness and the negative response received by the State of Qatar to deal with the roots of the problem and not ready to reconsider its policies and practices, reflecting a lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation,”

“The four countries stressed their keenness on the importance of the relationship between the Arab peoples and the deep appreciation to the Qatari people, expressing the hope that wisdom would prevail and the State of Qatar may make the right decision.

“The four countries stressed that the time has come for the international community to shoulder its responsibility to put an end to the support of extremism and terrorism and that there is no room for any entity or party involved in practicing, supporting or financing of extremism and terrorism in the international community or to be as a partner in the efforts of peaceful settlement of political crises in the region,

“In this context, the four countries expressed their appreciation for the decisive position adopted by President Donald Trump of the United States of America on the need for an immediate end to the support and elimination of extremism and terrorism and the intolerability of any violations by any party in this regard.”

The ministers agreed to follow up the situation and hold their next meeting in Manama.