Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has said that targeting vital infrastructures—whether it be water desalination facilities, water tanks, food reserves, medicine reserves or medicine production facilities—any kind of infrastructure that sustains people’s lives is a grave danger for the people of the region and beyond.
“Whatever party is doing this, this needs to stop immediately. This region cannot take these kinds of attacks on its facilities. We will see a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of these attacks,” he said in a media briefing yesterday.
He added, “We’ve seen these attacks on both sides of the Gulf. They have affected people’s lives immediately, and civilian people and entities should not be targeted in any war, in any conflict, in any way. This is the worst way to attack them—not only targeting civilian individuals, but making life impossible by targeting the vital infrastructure that sustains and supports them.”
He said that the government has taken all precautions in Qatar. “From a military perspective, as you have seen, most of these attacks—almost all of them—have been deterred, and we have not had any successful attacks on our civilian infrastructure, especially infrastructure that sustains people’s lives. We urge all parties to take immediate action to halt any attacks that would damage these facilities.”
He said that attacks on energy facilities on both sides are also a dangerous precedent. “This will not only cause economic losses in the region and affect our business models, but it will also cause repercussions across the world. The ripple effects of attacking energy facilities in this region, and blocking maritime navigation as is happening now, will be felt globally.”
He urged the international community to do all that is possible with all parties to stop attacks on these facilities. “For us in the region, we have taken all possible precautions to ensure this does not happen, including halting or minimizing production in some areas to ensure the safety of workers and the facilities themselves. As soon as the situation that caused this disruption ends, we will return to resuming supplies to the international community and our clients, working closely with them to ensure the effects of these attacks are mitigated.”
Responding to question about the Strait of Hormuz, Al Ansari said that any threat to navigation there—at any speed or in any geographic area—is unacceptable. “This strait and other waterways are not only used by Qatar but are vital for the transport of oil, goods, medicines, and essential supplies needed for daily life across many countries.”
He added, “Closing the strait or threatening the safety of navigation there would have very serious consequences for everyone. Therefore, we support international efforts aimed at protecting maritime navigation and preventing the global economy from suffering such repercussions.”
On economic impact of attacks on GCC countries, he said that these attacks affect not only the economy of the State of Qatar but also the global economy as a whole. “Because of these attacks, QatarEnergy announced the suspension of production after facilities related to gas production were targeted.”
He noted that the repercussions will not be limited to the energy sector. “They will also affect international trade, maritime shipping, aviation, and transportation. These sectors and others may face significant impacts in the coming period.”
“Therefore, we have taken all necessary measures at the national level to ensure the resilience of our economy in the face of these challenges. At the same time, as the Minister of State for Energy Affairs mentioned in a recent interview, we remain fully committed to all our customers.”
