The State of Qatar has lodged an official complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement body against countries that have imposed a blockade on it, in violation of the basic laws and conventions of the WTO, particularly laws relating to trade in goods and services, as well as trade-related aspects of intellectual property.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce said Qatar’s Office to WTO in Geneva, in accordance with Article IV of the Understanding on WTO Dispute Settlement, has requested official consultations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, through addressing them with letters including all the violations committed by those countries against the State of Qatar in accordance with the various WTO conventions.
It is noteworthy that the three Gulf countries that imposed the siege have recently taken decisions not only to sever diplomatic relations with Doha, but also worked to impose a land blockade and close the airspaces and sea areas with Qatar, in violation of the commercial rights not only of the State of Qatar, but also of its trading partners.
According the Ministry’s statement, Minister of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, said that the arbitrary measures taken by the siege countries are a clear violation of international conventions, and norms and constitute a precedent for the first time within the framework of economic blocs.
The Minister added that this step taken by Qatar is to clearly show all the WTO member-countries the level of transparency enjoyed by the State of Qatar by requesting an official and transparent dialogue and consultations with the siege countries to inform them of the violations. The State of Qatar requests those States to sit down for dialogue and to begin holding such consultations, the Minister noted.
The Minister underlined that Qatar has always been respecting all bilateral, regional and international agreements, and that the Ministry of Economy and Commerce will take all necessary steps at the level of regional and international organisations to defend its economic and commercial interests and its partners in these fields.
The Minister had earlier met in Geneva with the Director General of the WTO, the President of the World Economic Forum, as well as the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and a group of lawyers from a legal firm specialised in WTO cases, entrusted with considering the illegal measures taken by the siege countries against Qatar.
