Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on the Middle East of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit announcement on Tuesday 5 January is a significant development. We pay testament to Kuwaiti mediation efforts, and urge the parties to continue building on this positive dialogue. The UK has long encouraged all parties to find a resolution to this dispute. The GCC is our third largest export market outside of the EU. We look forward to continued collaboration with all our friends in the Gulf to strengthen our shared security and prosperity interests.