RIYADH – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday about the legality of the measures they have taken in severing diplomatic and consular relations with Qatar. This came on the sidelines of the WTO Commodities Trade Council meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. The Kingdom, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt stressed that the decisions they have taken are in conformity with the WTO regulations. In a joint statement that was read in the meeting, the four countries emphasized that all the measures they have taken are in agreement with the international laws that legally allow member countries to move against any country that infringes on their security and stability. This is a sovereign right that is in line with Article 21 of the general agreement for trade in commodities. The Article states that in emergency cases in international relations, the commitments of the agreement allow member countries to take steps they deem necessary to protect their interests and national security. Meanwhile, Article 14 of the Services Agreement and Article 73 of the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement signed by WTO member countries guarantee all the sovereign rights of countries to take any measure to protect their national security and stability from any violations they may be subjected to.
