Countries boycotting Qatar file Qatar airspace dispute to ICJ

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain announced on Wednesday a move to submit a dispute with Qatar regarding their sovereign airspace to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Al Arabiya news channel reported.

This action by the four countries to submit the case to the International Court of Justice comes in light of the decision of the ICAO Council to grant Qatar the opportunity to hear its demands, which did not include the support of these demands or to call upon the four countries to take any action.

The four boycotting states decided to object to this decision because they believe that the Organization has fully exercised its technical competence through the cooperation of the four states with the organization's Regional Office in Cairo in developing international alternative airlines for Qatari aircraft in international airspace.

The four countries believed Qatar is constantly and severely violating all the sovereign rights of the four countries, including interference in its internal affairs and supporting terrorism, making this conflict primarily a security policy, and the acceptance by the organization's' council of the study of the Qatari's claims is therefore illegal as it departs from the technical competence of the organization.

They will object to the ICAO decision by appealing to the International Court of Justice under the two above-mentioned agreements.

In view of the decision of the four States to appeal the ICAO decision before the International Court of Justice, the ICAO will cease to consider the Qatari claims until the judgment of the International Court of Justice has been issued and coincides with the continued exercise by the four States of their sovereign right to close the airspace to Qatari aircraft under international law.

The four States intend to appeal to the court in this regard to decide that the decision of the Council of the Organization has violated international law, including the two agreements mentioned above.

It should be noted that the ruling when it is issued will determine the validity of the decision of ICAO on enabling Qatar to submit the two complaints, and does not in any way accept the allegations of Qatar or the imposition of opening the airspace or anything else that detracts from the sovereign rights of the four countries or upload any legal consequences.

That's because the rule will not address the substance of the dispute between the four countries and Qatar, and therefore international law will continue to support the four countries in the continued closure of the regional airspace in front of the Qatari aircraft and therefore nothing will change in this case.

The appeals and hearings of the International Court of Justice are expected to take a long time before a decision is made, and accordingly the four States will continue to close their regional airspace to Qatari aircraft in order to preserve their national security and sovereign right guaranteed by international law.