After years of a political standoff that began in 2017, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar declared the restoration of their diplomatic representation as their embassies continued the operations from Monday.
This year, embassy activity is reinstated during a broader drive of Gulf Arab states to negotiate with their neighbors, including Syria and Iran.
What happened:
According to the statements from both governments, the UAE and Qatar reopened their respective embassies on Monday after the Gulf states agreed to reinstate diplomatic ties.
According to the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Emirati and the Qatari foreign ministers held a phone call to resume their diplomatic functions.
Why it matters:
The Gulf dispute began in June 2017 with the suspension of diplomatic ties and a blockade on Qatar levied by Egypt and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain.
Qatar was accused of supporting extremism because of its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood – which the four blockading countries had branded as a terrorist organization, and for maintaining economic ties with Iran, with which Qatar shares its most significant natural gas field.
In January 2022, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were the first to appoint ambassadors to Doha, while Bahrain has not reopened its embassy in Doha.
Background:
As the UAE and Qatar reconciled in January 2021, expressions of warming relations followed.
In January 2022, Qatar publicly criticized the Houthi drone attack that targeted three fuel tanker trucks near Abu Dhabi and caused a fire at the international airport, which killed three people, marking it as a terrorist act.
Besides, the following month, Qatari and Emirati delegations met for the third time after the signing Al – Ula Declaration in 2021
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, prime minister, and ruler of Dubai, accompanied Dubai crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum to the opening of the World Cup hosted by Doha in November.
The Dubai ruler applauded Qatar’s successful tournament hosting as an achievement for the entire Arab region.
Moreover, the UAE granted multi-entry visas for Hayya cardholders as identification and means of entry into Qatar for hockey holders of the global games, along with many World Cup attendees traveling back and forth between Doha and the UAE.
In January 2023, Qatar’s Emir Al – Thani attended a presidential meeting hosted in the UAE which aimed to deepen ties between countries of the GCC as well as Egypt and Jordan.
The governmental Emirates News Agency reported that in March 2023, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received the UAE’s national security advisor, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Presidential Court, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayes to discuss “fraternal relations ” and how to strengthen different domains of mutual interest.
After the meeting, the UAE unlocked several Qatar news websites after over seven years. The websites included Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, and the New Arab.
