Tensions between the Gulf neighbors are beginning to rise again with the UAE complaint to the United Nations watchdog regarding Qatar‘s warplanes. On January 15, 2018, the UAE officials declared that Qatari fighter jets allegedly intercepted two Emirati civilian airplanes en route to Bahrain.
UAE General Civil Aviation Authority Director-General Saif Mohammed al-Suwaidi told Reuters that UAE are accusing Qatar of violating Chicago Convention in their complaint to the ICAO. On January 17, UAE‘s Foreign Affairs minister said in his official Twitter account that recent developments in the Qatari intercepted passenger planes accident can have two explanations. “The first is that it is an escalation stemming from worry and confusion, and the second is a desperate attempt fearing marginalization. Our response will be balanced and legal and its aim will be to secure flight routes and passenger’s lives,” he added.
The State of Qatar announced that the claims of its fighter-planes intercepting the UAE civil aircraft are completely false. They also said that detailed statement will follow. Earlier in January 2018, Qatar also reported that it had notified the United Nations of its airspace violation by the UAE military aircraft. King’s College London academic, Andreas Krieg, who previously worked as a security consultant to the Qatari armed forces, said that the UAE spreading „fake news“ and Qatar would not break IATA laws. “Qatar is in full compliance with IATA regulations,” Krieg told Al Jazeera. “Qatar has built its entire narrative on being a reliable partner in multilateral organizations and institutions.”
Earlier in 2017, a diplomatic scandal erupted around Qatar authorities who were accused of supporting “terrorism and rendering financial assistance to terrorist groups”.
At that time, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Libya, as well as the Maldives, the Comoros, Mauritius, and Mauritania discontinue their diplomatic relations with Qatar.
Source – AeroTime
