Egypt and Bahrain stressed on Sunday their commitment to the 13 demands made by the Arab quartet to boycott terrorism as a main factor in resolving the crisis with Qatar.
They warned Doha against “all attempts to circumvent these demands, which will only prolong the crisis.”
Cairo and Manama declared their stances at the conclusion of the 10th session of the Joint Committee for Cooperation between the Kingdom and Egypt, which had convened in the Bahraini capital. The meeting was chaired by Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri.
They stressed the importance of maintaining the security, sovereignty and stability of the region, underscoring the significance of Arab Gulf security.
They also renewed their condemnation of terrorism in all of its forms.
On Yemen, they voiced their support for its stability and peace, as well as its legitimate government, underscoring the political solution to resolve the conflict based on the Gulf initiative.
They also condemned that Iran-backed Houthi militias for their ongoing firing of ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia.
Shoukri had held talks on Sunday with Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
He expressed to him Egypt’s “deep gratitude for the Kingdom’s wise stances in support of Arab solidarity and joint efforts to bolster regional and international security and peace.”
He voiced Cairo’s keenness on bolstering and developing ties with Bahrain in various fields, hoping that the joint committee would yield tangible results and serve common Arab goals.
Shoukri stressed Egypt’s commitment to the security and stability of the Gulf, saying it was an “integral part of Egypt’s national security.”
For his part, the Bahraini PM underlined the strength of ties that bind Manama and Cairo, saying that the Kingdom’s leadership is keen on intensifying contacts with Egypt to develop them further.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt had announced in June 2017 a diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar over its support and financing of terrorism. They made a list of 13 demands for it to fulfill in order to end the boycott and restore ties.
