Qatar's Emir not to attend GCC summit in Riyadh

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will not be attending the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit. A delegation headed by Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi will represent the country at the summit.

According to Al Jazeera, the GCC summit which is going to be held in Riyadh on Sunday comes amid an ongoing blockade on Qatar imposed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt, four members of GCC out of seven, after accusing Qatar of supporting 'terrorism' in June 2017.

However, Qatar has denied the alleged charges and claimed that the boycott is affecting the country's sovereignty.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has criticised Sheikh Tamim's decision of not attending the summit. "Qatar's Emir should have accepted the fair demands [of the boycotting states] and attended the summit," AL Jazeera cited Al Khalifa as saying on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia King Salman had himself extended an invitation to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to attend the GCC summit. The announcement had come on December 5 following Qatar's withdrawal from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) next year.

The GCC is a political and economic alliance of seven countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt. The group aims at fostering socio-economic, security, and cultural cooperation among its member nations. The agenda of the GCC summit has not been made public.