On Monday, the embassies of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reopened and resumed their operations following an agreement between the Gulf states to restore their diplomatic relationship. Qatar’s foreign ministry released a statement confirming the news.
The decision to restore ties between the Gulf states came as part of a broader regional effort towards resolution. This development comes after two years since Arab states ended a boycott of Doha, which had caused a complete rupture in the Western-allied Gulf Arab bloc.
According to a statement from the Qatari ministry, the foreign ministers of both countries, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, had a phone conversation on Monday following the reopening of the embassies.
In April, Reuters reported that the two Gulf states were in the process of restoring diplomatic relations.
The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha initially arose due to disputes over regional influence, the role of Islam in politics, and Qatar’s alleged support for pro-democracy movements in the Middle East. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt severed all ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing terrorism and forming closer ties with Iran.
While Saudi Arabia and Egypt had already reappointed ambassadors to Doha in 2021 as part of a Saudi-led deal to end the dispute, Bahrain has yet to reopen its embassy in Qatar.
The restoration of diplomatic ties between Qatar and the UAE comes after Iran and Saudi Arabia also agreed to re-establish ties, marking a significant shift in the Gulf region. The previous animosity between the two had created instability in the Gulf and fueled the ongoing war in Yemen.
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