The Gulf crisis has caused human rights violations, Austrian ambassador Willy Kempel said, adding that he has been particularly saddened by the damage caused to Gulf families because of the siege imposed on Qatar.
Addressing a lecture on human security organised by the Diplomatic Institute of the Foreign Ministry , the Austrian envoy said the violations of human rights caused by the Gulf crisis have been documented by the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, and that his embassy has sent those documented violations to the Austrian government.
He expressed regret that the families on both sides were affected by the siege and commended Qatar for taking the right and proper measures to protect human rights in the country.
The Gulf crisis was triggered when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism". Qatar rejected the allegations as "baseless".
"Qatar and Austria are small in size, but they have decided to play a prominent role globally," the ambassador said noting that the two countries shared many values, including faith in collective action and openness to the world.
The Austrian envoy said that the Qatari government's handling of rights of workers and the investigation of labour files were a kind of protection of human security.
Describing the Yemeni crisis as a "great tragedy", the ambassador said more than 1.5mn displaced people in Yemen are now in need of humanitarian assistance.
On the Syrian crisis, Kempel said it is a "big problem" that has gone out of control, stressing the need for international consensus for a solution both in Syria and Yemen.
He underlined that the concept of human security means protecting the security of individuals, stressing the importance of international action to ensure the protection of human rights.
