QATAR, UAE TO REOPEN EMBASSIES IN COMING WEEKS

Thu 20 Apr 2023:

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are working to reopen their embassies in each other’s countries “in the coming weeks”, a senior Qatari diplomat said yesterday.

Majid Al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “The technical committees are now doing their work in this context, and it is expected that there will be exchange visits to consider the procedures we need to reopen embassies.”

For his part, an Emirati official, who asked not to be named, confirmed in a statement sent to AFP “the activation of diplomatic ties, which will include the reopening of embassies, is under process between both countries.”

He explained that relations between the two countries have resumed since the signing of the Al-Ula agreement in January 2021, followed by visits by officials from each of the two countries to develop relations and jointly achieve mutual prosperity and progress.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting extremist organisations in the region, before signing a reconciliation agreement in 2021.

Since then, relations have largely returned between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but rapprochement with the UAE and Bahrain took longer.

Last week, Qatar and Bahrain resumed their diplomatic relations following meetings between the two parties that discussed differences, including the maritime borders.

The Gulf rapprochement comes amid diplomatic efforts to resolve the region’s crises, especially after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed last month to resume relations which were cut in 2016.

Observers and analysts hope the Saudi-Iranian agreement will be reflected on regional files, especially in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition that supports the internationally recognised government, in the face of the Iranian-backed Houthis.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis held talks in Sanaa this month, aimed at “stabilising the truce” and reaching a “comprehensive and sustainable political solution” to the conflict.

In recent days, about a thousand prisoners have been exchanged between the two sides.