(Bloomberg) -- A diplomatic rift between Qatar and several Gulf states that's lasted a year and a half is likely to continue in the new year, said Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirate's minister of state for foreign affairs.
"In my estimation, the boycott of Qatar will continue in 2019 because it's linked to necessary changes in Doha's destructive tendencies," Gargash said in a Twitter post. "Qatar will continue to fail to combat the action taken against them, despite its excessive cost."
He added that he expects to see "breakthroughs in the crisis" in Yemen, where the U.A.E. is participating in a Saudi-led coalition that's waging war against the country's Houthi rebels.
Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic, economic and transport ties with Qatar in summer 2017, accusing the tiny Gulf peninsula of interfering in their domestic affairs and supporting terrorism. Qatar has vehemently denied the allegations but the rift has festered, marring investor perception of the Gulf as a predictable safe haven in a tumultuous region.
To contact the reporter on this story: Vivian Nereim in Riyadh at vnereim@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Michael S. Arnold
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