Qatar detains Bahraini and Asian sailors, Manama responds: in violation of the principles of brotherhood

Qatar appears to be back on its feet to piracy, attempts to control territorial waters, and crises with its Arab neighbors; it detained two Bahraini and four Asian sailors.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry condemned on Friday the arrest of two Bahraini and four Asian sailors by the Qatari coast and border security patrols.

The two boats, which were carrying the sailors, were detained last Tuesday for allegedly entering Qatari territorial waters.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry said the incident violated the principles of brotherhood and good neighborliness and violated all human values, Gulf customs and traditions, as well as Arab and Islamic charters.

In co-ordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministry is following up on legal procedures to safeguard the rights of fishermen and seafarers, she said, as part of its concern for the security, freedoms and safety of citizens and their interests.

“The intransigence of the Qatari authorities and their insistence on targeting Bahraini seafarers and fishermen in their livelihoods who were arrested and whose boats and equipment were detained is an infringement of the customs and historical ties inherited from fathers and grandfathers on allowing the people of the Arabian Gulf to fish for more than 200 years without restrictions or threats”, Bahrain said in a severe message.

The Qatari move “represents a clear violation of the rights of Gulf citizens, which were affirmed by the GCC Statute and the relevant agreements on strengthening the march of the GCC and preserving its unity and cohesion”, it said.