UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash.

:: Hours before Qatar’s deadline ended, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that with regards to the diplomatic crisis, it is crucial that Doha either agrees on the common grounds that safeguard the interests of Gulf states or to separate from the GCC.

On his official Twitter account he said: “We are facing a historical point in time that has nothing to do with sovereignty, [Qatar] must either commit to the obligations of the community and refrain from undermining it or destroying it or separate from it.”

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt gave Qatar an additional 48-hour deadline ending on Tuesday at the request of Kuwait, which is playingthe role of mediator in the crisis, to respond to a list of demands that called for Doha to stop its financing of extremist groups and stop interfering in the affairs of neighbouring states.