Qatar on Thursday expressed its regret and condemnation that Saudi Arabia did not grant an entry permit to HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari to attend an extraordinary emergency meeting of the Gulf Co-operation Council's Ministers of Health to discuss coronavirus (COVID-19) issue, as the approval arrived after the start of the meeting.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Saudi Arabia has always claimed that the GCC, especially the technical committees, is effective and not affected by the Gulf crisis, but Qatar was surprised, as the kingdom has politicised a humanitarian issue that requires wisdom and the necessity to keep it away from political differences.

The statement called on Saudi Arabia to play its role as the headquarters of the GCC with impartiality and professionalism, and also affirmed Qatar's commitment to co-operate with all Gulf countries to address coronavirus, wishing all people of the region security and safety.


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