Qatar, Turkey, Muslim Brotherhood leading campaign to ‘vilify’ UAE: Gargash

Qatar, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood are leading media campaigns to ‘vilify’ the United Arab Emirates, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Thursday.

“Inflating the regional role of the UAE, which Qatari, Turkish and [Muslim] Brotherhood media platforms have been persistently doing, is a double-edged sword for those who lead this black campaign which aims to demonize the UAE,” Gargash tweeted.

He added that their campaign, however, is in part an admission of the UAE’s central role in the region and its credibility.

“Moreover, inflating the UAE’s role… as the country which raises the banner of confronting regional interference in Arab affairs is free publicity that we do not fully deserve. We are a partner to the forces of good in the region that seek stability and development and refuses for Arabs to submit to other regional powers,” Gargash added.

Gargash said: “There is no doubt, that part of this ongoing black campaign, on which millions are spent, is due to the inability to keep up with the UAE’s ambitions, scientific leadership and our ability to benefit from the experiences of developed countries.”

“We realize that our neighbor is wasting [resources] on demonizing us, but you should know that their money strengthens our status and role.”

The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had severed diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism – a charge Doha denies.

After the Quartet severed ties with Qatar, Turkey threw its support behind Qatar.

Both Ankara and Doha have also provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE, Saudi Arabia and their allies designated as a terrorist organization.