Qatar and UAE in process of restoring diplomatic ties

A sign indicating a route to Qatar embassy is seen in Manama, Bahrain, June 5, 2017. (Reuters)
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  • Qatar, UAE to reopen embassies ‘in coming weeks’- Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson
  • A UAE official confirmed that the reopening of embassies is ‘under process’

DOHA/DUBAI: Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are restoring diplomatic ties and reopening embassies, officials said on Tuesday.

The step comes more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha.

“At present, the activation of diplomatic ties, which will include the reopening of embassies, is under process between both countries,” a UAE official said in a statement in response to a question from Reuters.

Qatar’s international media office, in a statement, confirmed that “work is underway to reopen the respective embassies as soon as possible.” 

“Regarding the opening of embassies between the two countries, I think it will be in the coming weeks,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majid Al-Ansari told a briefing.

A Gulf official said embassies were expected to reopen with new ambassadors in their posts by mid-June. A fourth source said diplomatic relations would be fully restored within weeks.

The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation with Iran and Ƶ agreeing last month to re-establish relations after years of hostility, which threatened instability in the Gulf and stoked the war in Yemen.

Several Arab countries, including Ƶ and Egypt, have moved to end a decade-long isolation of Syria, which had been boycotted over its crackdown on protests in 2011 — violence that led to a protracted civil war.

In Yemen, the Houthi movement and Ƶ held a round of peace talks this week, exchanging hundreds of detainees, a significant peace-building move in the conflict. Further peace talks are expected soon.

In mid-2017, Ƶ, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed all ties with Qatar over accusations it supported terrorism, a reference to Islamist groups, and was cosying up to Iran, accusations Doha denied.

Riyadh and Cairo were the first to reappoint ambassadors to Doha in 2021 after a Saudi-led deal to end the dispute, while Bahrain last week announced it would restore diplomatic ties.