The blockade has made Qatar stronger
It has been over six weeks since a Saudi-led alliance imposed a blockade on Qatar, but how has the diplomatic rift affected Qatar?
Qatar Petroleum (QP) president and CEO Saad Sherida Al Kaabi said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the blockade has actually made Qatar a lot more independent and consequently much stronger.
Al Kaabi's statement rings true in light of Qatar's ambition to be the biggest of natural gas in the world. Most of Qatar's almost 80mn tonnes of annual LNG supplies are shipped to different countries mainly Japa, South Korea and India. The air, sea and land restrictions have not affected maritime routes so far for Qatari LNG vessels.
The hostile nature of blockade will now allow Qatar to move forward with plans to develop the northern gas fields that it shares with Iran without having to worry about aggravating diplomatic tensions with the GCC nations.
According to al-Kaabi, the crisis will not affect Qatar's natural gas output or cut off gas supply to the UAE - the Dolphin gas pipeline pumps around 57 million cubic metres of gas a day to the UAE.
"If you stop the gas, the biggest harm is to the people of the UAE. The people of the UAE are cousins, relatives, and friends ... and we have nothing against them," Al Kaabi told Al Jazeera.
If anything, this move only showcased Qatar's diplomatic soundness and maturity to the international community. The Saudi-led alliance now had a uphill PR battle on their hands.
Following US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's failed attempt at shuttle diplomacy, the blockade of Qatar is expected to continue indefinitely
For now, Al Kaabi says Qatar can be reassured of a strong economic future thanks to the blockade.
"I would like to thank the four countries for their blockade, because it has made Qatar stronger, the people of Qatar stronger, their businesses stronger. We will come out of this much stronger than before."
