Gulf accord will not hurt Iran-Qatar ties: Experts

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) - Iranian Middle East experts said Friday that the recent reconciliation in the Gulf crisis would not affect bilateral relations between Tehran and Doha.

The solution of the problems between the Gulf countries will serve regional peace and stability, Abas Aslani, journalist and senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies (CMESS) in Iran, told Anadolu Agency.

"Peace between Saudi Arabia and Qatar will not weaken relations between Doha and Tehran. Qatar will maintain its relations with Iran," Aslani said.

Qatar can use this development as an opportunity for mediation between Iran and Arab countries in the Gulf region, he noted.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, political expert and journalist Payman Yazdani also argued that Qatar would not follow an anti-Iran policy after normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.

The Qatar administration is following a balanced policy between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the event that conflicts between Doha and Riyadh return as a problem in the future, Yazdani said.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt signed a reconciliation deal with Qatar during a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit on Jan. 5 in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

The agreement signaled an end to a Saudi-led blockade imposed on Qatar since mid-2017 amid accusations that Doha supported terrorist groups, a claim it vehemently denied.

The summit was held one day after Kuwait announced that Saudi Arabia and Qatar had reached an agreement to reopen airspace and land and sea borders between the two countries, in addition to addressing the repercussions of the Gulf crisis.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara