Despite the economic blockade imposed by four Middle East Countries, the State of Qatar has managed to survive and even thrive against all odds imposed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.
Known as the infamous Quartet by the people of Qatar, the four unilaterally severed diplomatic relations with Qatar for reasons known only to them. With the break in diplomatic ties, the national airline of Qatar cannot fly into the capitals of the four mentioned countries. Qatar Airlines nonetheless is able to make up on the air traffic lost by the air embargo against it with flights to other major destinations in Europe and the United States.
Filipino overseas workers in Qatar who number nearly 300,000, board Qatar airlines to and from the capital Doha to Manila. Filipinos in Qatar are among the highest paid in the Middle East. And unlike in Kuwait, there hasn’t been any reports of our OFWs being maltreated in Qatar.
In a dinner he hosted for media at his residence in Forbes Park, Qatari Ambassador Ali Inbrahim Al-Malki said that while Kuwaiti incidents have yet to be proven, it is fortunate. He added that if the Philippine government decides to impose a total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, the state of Qatar can probably absorb some of them.
Ambassador Al-Malki said the deployment of OFWs to his country has bright prospects. A visiting trade and investment delegation from Qatar was recently in Manila to look at areas of economic cooperation in infrastructure and food exports.
Qatar is economically self-sufficient in food, science and technology although it has to bring in a few food items from Europe, one of its major trading partners. It’s in the area of human rights that is a problem; it is a topic that is already being looked at by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Qatari Muslims are being prohibited from joining the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Qatari families are separated from those living in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt because of the air blockade against Qatar airlines from landing at the airports of the four major capitals.
Members of the Philippine media suggested to the Ambassador that perhaps the Embassy could arrange a small group of Filipino journalists to visit Qatar and write about the beneficial bilateral relations between the two countries. The press was impressed by the ambassador’s articulate explanation of his country’s situation and his wide knowledge of the internecine politics in the region.
Despite the political intrigues against his country, Ambassador Al-Malki made known that the Red Crescent of Qatar donated $280,000 to the victims of Typhoon ‘‘Vinta’’ in Mindanao. Red Crescent volunteers are still in the region working and coordinating with Philippine National Red Cross in the relief and rehabilitation of the houses destroyed by the typhoon’s strong winds and rain.
Senator Richard Gordon, the concurrent head of the PNRC, is overseeing relief efforts despite his hectic schedule at the Senate.
There may be some kind of a Gulf crisis in the Middle East because of the unreasonable demands of the Quartet but there is no gulf of communications between the Philippines and Qatar.
Qatari investments in infrastructure projects in Doha and Manila could deepen the close cooperation between the two countries and the deployment of more Filipino workers in the Gulf region. While the diplomatic stalemate between Qatar and the Quartet does not have enough impact on the lives of the people of the region, the right to travel has been curtailed. I hope the mediation of the United Nations and other neutral countries could solve the impasse.
