It is high time the Gulf states relied on their own abilities and strengths and above all became more realistic in their relations with the US, a former member of the Saudi Arabian Shura Council has said.
Dr Ahmed al-Tuwaijri, who is also a prominent lawyer in Saudi Arabia, was taking part in a panel discussion on "Gulf-US relations: prospects and contexts" hosted by Al Jazeera Centre for Studies in Doha on Tuesday.
"The recent Riyadh summit attended by the US President Barrack Obama did not have any positive bearing on the Gulf states' relations with the US as it was held at a time when the relations between the region's states and America were at their lowest ebb," he stated.
The lawyer felt though that the Gulf states were expecting what he called a 'new start' in their relations with the US. It took them no time to realise that the US agreement with Tehran had only helped to vitiate their relations with the Gulf states.
The lawyer also said it seemed America's ties with Israel had only helped the latter and not vice-versa. "The discussions at the Riyadh summit were simply overshadowed by the elections to the US primaries and also the repeated victories of Donald Trump."
Dr al-Tuwaijri described the victories of Trump as a "catastrophe for everyone".
He said the Gulf states are really worried by the happenings in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and at the increasing number of loss of lives across the region owing to the turbulent situation in the region.
The Saudi Arabian lawyer said the Gulf people have nothing against the Iranian politicians and the people there. "However we are against the destructive doctrines preached by extremist elements in that country," he said.
While making his appearance through a video link, David Mack, the former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State for Near East Affairs, said there should not be any room for such misconceptions about their relations with the US among the Gulf states and there is no question of America abandoning its friends in the Gulf region while reaching agreements with other countries of the region.
Mack is a former ambassador of the US to the UAE.
Doha Graduate Institute associate professor Dr Samer Shihate, who was also a panellist, said the recent US-Iran agreement had a negative effect on the region's relations with the Americans.