UAE recalls ambassador to Sweden

[Sunni Falcon]

UAE recalls ambassador to Sweden over Saudi Arabia comments



ABU DHABI // The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recalled the UAE ambassador to Sweden in wake of comments the country’s foreign minister made about Saudi Arabia.

In addition to recalling the ambassador, Sultan Rashid Al Kaitoob, the ministry also summoned the Swedish ambassador to the UAE, Jan Thesleff, and delivered a formal memorandum of protest over Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom’s remarks, state news agency Wam reported.

Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, highlighted the “condemnation by the UAE of strong statements made by the Foreign Minister of Sweden to the Swedish Parliament against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its judicial system”.

Dr Gargash stressed that these statements violate the principle of sovereignty upon which normal relations between countries are based. He added that such remarks are deemed interference in internal affairs as they do not respect the religious and cultural particularities of states and communities.

“We have been informed that the ambassador has been recalled,” said Erik Boman, the Swedish foreign minister’s press secretary.

“We regret that this has happened. We have good and broad relations with the UAE, which we want to preserve and develop.”

 

[Steve781]

Saudi Arabia and UAE are always commenting on the internal affairs of Israel, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and European countries that print cartoons so I can't see where the high ground is here.

 

[Sunni Falcon]

Saudi Arabia and UAE are always commenting on the internal affairs of Israel, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and European countries that print cartoons so I can't see where the high ground is here.

Well,

My friend I think that you are mixing between FAR different things :

* Condemning Israeli Violation of International Law over Palestinians rights of 1967 borders, East Jerusalem and its atrocities against them.

And

* Condemning Iranian Violation of International Law by their intervention with their Funded/Trained brutal savage militias in Iraq/Syria/Yemen and the on going Genoice right now against Iraqi Sunni Especially in Diyala Province (has Sunni majority but has also ground borders with barbaric Iran) and Baghdad as they proclaim it recently -by their state officials- as the Capitale of their Empire that begins from Afghanistan and ends in Lebanon !

Is FAR Different from :

* Condemning deeds that promote hatred and are a form of racism (though religion is not a race) wich are prohibited by International Law, I know that this point is kinda weird for you, so Consider it like Anti-Semites Laws in Europe wich you use to take down anyone who do criticise Jews.
You can get it as this : You worship Jews, we do worship GOD.


Hope you get it.

 

[Sunni Falcon]

Qatar, Kuwait, Oman react to Swedish FM anti-Saudi remarks



According to IRIB World Service, upon the remarks of Swedish foreign minister on violation of human rights in Saudi Arabia, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry condemned the Swedish official’s remarks as interference in the internal affairs and national sovereignty of Saudi Arabia.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry also issued a declaration, stating that the remarks of the Swedish foreign minister have trampled upon international norms and violates global rules and regulations which emphasize non-interference in the internal affairs of countries.

The Omani Foreign Ministry, in a statement, termed the anti-Saudi remarks of Swedish foreign minister as detrimental for Sweden’s relations with Arab countries.

The Arab states rally behind the Saudi regime, while the human rights assemblies and the United Nations have on numerous occasions expressed concerns over the state of human rights in Saudi Arabia, and have urged the Saudi regime to end its suppressive policies against Saudi nationals.

MR/MG

GCC unites against Sweden minister over Saudi comments

Margot Wallström's comments on Saudi Arabia condemned 'emphatically'

Manama: Kuwait and Qatar have joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE in “emphatically” condemning statements by Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, saying they were flagrant interference in its domestic affairs.

"The remarks by the Foreign Minister of Sweden are considered a blatant interference in the internal and sovereign affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and encroachment upon its judicial system, a fact that contradicts international law regarding non-interference in countries' domestic affairs, as well as diplomatic norms that state that the sovereignty of countries must be respected," an official source at the Kuwaiti foreign ministry said.

The source reiterated Kuwait's support for Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that "interference in the internal affairs of any Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member state is deemed as interference in the affairs of all other member states,” Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported.

In the Qatari capital Doha, the foreign ministry on Wednesday said that Wallström’s statement as “a violation of diplomatic norms that must prevail in relations between countries.”

“The statements are incompatible with the international laws regarding the non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries,” the ministry said in a statement carried by Qatar News Agency (QNA). “Qatar stresses its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in this regard.”

The UAE on Wednesday recalled Sultan Rashid Al Kaitoub, its ambassador to Sweden, and summoned Swedish ambassador in the country to protest Swedish Foreign Minister’s offensive statements against Saudi Arabia.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, expressed the UAE’s “strong condemnation of the statements.”

“These remarks violate the principle of sovereignty on which normal relations between countries are based on, as they are considered interference in other country’s domestic affairs that do not respect religious and cultural characteristics of other countries and communities,” Dr Gargash said.

Oman’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned Wallström’s remarks, saying

It considers them as “interference in the internal affairs of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a violation of the international laws and the norms of relations among countries.”

The ministry added that “such statements would have negative impact on the relations between Sweden and the Arab countries.”

Bahrain on Monday condemned the Swedish statements “a blatant interference and a rejected infringement against the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its judicial system,” and considered “any interference in the internal affairs of a Gulf Cooperation Council country as interference in all GCC countries.”

The individual condemnation of the statements by each of the six GCC states follows a collective denunciation last week when the alliance openly sided with Saudi Arabia in its standoff with Sweden and condemned the “false accusations” by the Nordic state foreign minister.

The condemnation was expanded on Sunday when the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) “expressed its reservations on the remarks made in regard to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by the Foreign Minister of Sweden.”

Wallström provoked the political storm last week when she made remarks about Saudi Arabia’s social norms and judicial system that Riyadh condemned as “a blatant interference in its domestic affairs.”

The situation was compounded after Stockholm decided to end its military cooperation with Riyadh and the recall by Saudi Arabia of its ambassador to Sweden.

Sweden has been selling arms to Saudi Arabia for decades, but the deal on military cooperation, signed in 2005 and renewed in 2010, was being strongly debated in the Nordic nation and has caused divisions within the Social Democrat-Green coalition government.

Growing concern that Sweden’s strained relationship with Saudi Arabia could affect business in the Arab world has prompted discussions of the issue between the business community and the government, Swedish news site The Local reported.

According to the report, 31 business people have warned that a government decision to halt its military agreement with the Saudis could damage Swedish exports to the Arab world.

Sweden’s Ministry of Industry said it would meet business leaders to “answer questions and explain how the government looks at continuing foreign trade in the region.”

 

[Sunni Falcon]

Saudi Arabia to stop visas for Swedish citizens amid human rights row


Kingdom also to refuse to renew visas in retaliation for critical remarks by Sweden’s foreign minister Margot Wallstrom

Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom gestures during a media interview. Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Sweden after a diplomatic row between the two countries followed Wallstrom’s criticism of the kingdom’s human rights record.

Saudi Arabia will no longer issue business visas to Swedes or renew the current visas of Swedish nationals living in the country, a senior Saudi official told the Associated Press on Thursday.

The official said the decision is in response to Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom’s recent criticism of Saudi Arabia’s record on human and women’s rights. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.

The move appears aimed at pressuring Stockholm to distance itself from Wallstrom’s comments. She spoke out during a speech in the Swedish parliament against the flogging of a Saudi blogger who was convicted of insulting Islam on a liberal blog he founded. She said the royal family had absolute power, making Saudi Arabia a “dictatorship” where “women’s rights are violated.”

Swedish companies are concerned that the escalation in tensions and the visa ban will hinder their ability to do business in Saudi Arabia, said Andreas Astrom, the communications director at Stockholm’s Chamber of Commerce.

“This is going to have a vast negative impact for the companies with interest in the region,” he said. “This is not good for Swedish business society and, in the long run, jobs in Sweden.”

Sweden’s new left-wing government recently declined to renew a defence cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, which has since recalled its ambassador to Sweden.

Sweden last year exported nearly $1.3bn worth of goods to Saudi Arabia, making it the 18th most important exporting country for Sweden, according to the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. Multinational companies like Volvo, H&M and IKEA operate in Saudi Arabia, as do a range of medium-sized businesses.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday also recalled its ambassador to Sweden to protest criticism of its neighbour Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are close allies and members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, an energy-rich coalition of Arab monarchies. The GCC’s Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani on Thursday met with Sweden’s Ambassador in Riyadh to formally criticize Wallstrom’s remarks as “unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

 

[ResurgentIran]

That's the behavior of a reactionary regime.

 

[Schutz]

Oh no the Swedes must be devastated they cant go to the wastelands of Saudi Arabia and UAE, soulless lands of sand and barren landscapes which are overly hot and dsplay gigantic opulent signs of capitalism and oil wealth where just decades ago there was nothing, slaves are kept, people treated like shit unless your a local, being killed for being gay or not following the right religion and a giant hideous stone which people worship. People need to stop being a pussy when it comes to Saudi, its a terrible place and when the oils gone its back to being a desert full of people who next to the USA have been some of the biggest shit stirrers in recent decades, and thanks to it having a big ugly piece of stone other muslims think its a special place.

 

[God's Soldier]

Saudi Arabia and UAE are always commenting on the internal affairs of Israel, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and European countries that print cartoons so I can't see where the high ground is here.

Thanks for reminding. Tell the same thing to Uncle Sam and Its Ponies

Oh no the Swedes must be devastated they cant go to the wastelands of Saudi Arabia and UAE, soulless lands of sand and barren landscapes which are overly hot and dsplay gigantic opulent signs of capitalism and oil wealth where just decades ago there was nothing, slaves are kept, people treated like shit unless your a local, being killed for being gay or not following the right religion and a giant hideous stone which people worship. People need to stop being a pussy when it comes to Saudi, its a terrible place and when the oils gone its back to being a desert full of people who next to the USA have been some of the biggest shit stirrers in recent decades, and thanks to it having a big ugly piece of stone other muslims think its a special place.

How ignorant you are even in this world of communication and knowledge. You don't know Muslims do not worship stones. They worship the God Almighty - Who is the Lord Creator of all universe, its all creatures and all that is known and unknown to us. Please improve your knowledge.