Qatar and Bahrain agree to reset ties after talks

Qatar and Bahrain will restore diplomatic ties more than two years after an Arab boycott of Doha was lifted.

Both countries confirmed the development on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt ended a three-and-a-half year boycott of Qatar in January 2021.

With the exception of Bahrain, the countries restored travel and trade links with Doha in 2021.

On Wednesday, Bahraini and Qatari representatives met at the headquarters of the Gulf Co-operation Council General Secretariat in Riyadh, where the decision was made to restore ties, the two countries said.

In January, Bahrain’s Crown Prince spoke with Qatar’s Emir by telephone, in a sign that the two Gulf states were moving towards mending relations.

Their decision to restore diplomatic ties was welcomed by Kuwait, which acted as mediator during the Arab boycott.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement “reflects fraternal relations between Qatar and Bahrain” and contributes to unity among GCC member countries, state news agency Kuna reported.

The row that led the four countries to cut ties with Qatar in 2017 centred around its support for Islamist movements considered a threat by Arab neighbours and its close ties with Iran.

The reconciliation between Qatar and Bahrain, which are members of the six-nation GCC along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman, comes amid a flurry of regional efforts to resolve disputes.

Saudi Arabia welcomed Syria’s Foreign Minister on Wednesday in the latest sign that the Arab League might be ready to reinstate Damascus as a member.

Last month, Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival, Iran, agreed to restore diplomatic ties that had been severed in 2016 – in an agreement brokered by China.