Bahrain, Qatar Announce Resumption of Diplomatic Ties
Bahrain and Qatar will resume diplomatic relations, nearly six years after cutting ties as part of a boycott of Qatar imposed by four Arab countries. The agreement to restore ties was announced late on Wednesday, after a meeting between their delegations at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. It was the second meeting of the Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee, and each country made a separate announcement of the restoration of ties.
In January, Bahrain’s crown prince and the Qatari emir had a telephone conversation during which they discussed their differences, the first inklings of improving relations between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt restored ties in January 2021, including trade and travel, after the boycott of Bahrain was lifted. The four Arab countries had cut ties with Qatar over what it said was the country’s support for Islamist movements which arose in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring, as well as its ties to Iran and Turkey.
