Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reopened their embassies in the two Gulf states on Monday after agreeing to restore diplomatic ties, Qatar's foreign ministry said.
The restoration of diplomatic ties comes amid a broader regional call for reconciliation and more than two years after Arab countries ended a boycott of Doha that hurt the Gulf Arab bloc, an ally of the West, Hina writes.
Qatar's ministry said in a statement that the two foreign ministers, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani of Qatar and Abdullah bin Zayed of the UAE, spoke by phone as the two embassies reopened on Monday. Reuters reported in April that the two Gulf countries are in the process of restoring diplomatic relations.
Abu Dhabi and Doha have been feuding for years over influence in the region, the role of Islam in politics and support for pro-democracy movements across the Middle East. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed all ties with Qatar over accusations that it supported terrorism, a reference to political Islam, and accusations that it had moved closer to Iran. Doha is the origin of the accusations.
Riyadh and Cairo were the first to re-appoint ambassadors to Doha in 2021 following a Saudi-led deal to end the dispute, and Bahrain's embassy in Doha has still not reopened.
The renewed ties also came after Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore relations after years of hostility, which worsened the war in Yemen and contributed to increased instability in the Gulf countries.
Bonus video:
