Your article (Qatari official accuses Saudis of blackmail and destabilising the region, 10 June) is timely because it is now two years since the blockade of Qatar by some of the Gulf nations began. As Qatar attempts to de-escalate rising tensions in the Middle East between the US and Iran, surely there is an added impetus for the west to pressure the countries blockading Qatar to end their tiff – not least as all the protagonists are allies of the west and this is one Middle East dispute we can help resolve peacefully. In any event the blockade has only served to strengthen Qatari resolve, and rightly so. As Yousuf Al-Jaida, the chief executive of the Qatar Financial Centre, said, the blockade “has been a catalyst for change for the entire nation”.
Moreover, as my meetings in parliament with British companies have revealed, the blockade of Qatar has made it much more difficult for UK companies to move freely around the region. Qatar, being a major UK investor and home of the largest western military base in the region, is both a securer of jobs at home and a partner in the fight against terror. It’s in our own interests to help end this blockade of the country among friends.
Sandip Verma
Conservative, House of Lords
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
