UAE and Qatar restore diplomatic ties after years of dispute

Middle East, News June 21, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar restored their diplomatic ties by reopening their embassies in each other’s countries for the first time since 2017.

The six-year-long diplomatic suspension between the two Gulf states occurred when UAE joined Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain in alleging that Qatar supported terrorism and forged political ties with Iran, a geopolitical rival of the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states. Qatar was accused of financing the Muslim Brotherhood organization, which is branded as a terrorist group by several Arab countries, however, Doha denied the charges.

The restoration of diplomatic ties between Qatar and UAE is a result of the Al Ula Declaration, a joint agreement that came during the GCC Summit in 2021.

The Al Ula Declaration affirmed the support of the Arab leaders for Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s idea of unity and strengthening of relations between the Arab world. During the GCC summit of 2021, leaders of the Arab states jointly announced the ending of their dispute with Qatar. The move was also supported by the United States and Kuwait.

UAE and Qatar released a joint statement on June 19, 2023, saying that the Qatari embassy in Abu Dhabi and a Qatari consulate in Dubai, as well as an Emirati embassy in Doha, had resumed their operations. The Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone call with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani before the two embassies resumed operations earlier this week.

UAE has become the third of the four Arab countries to restore its ties with Qatar following the Al Ula Declaration. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have already appointed their ambassadors in Doha, while Bahrain is in talks to reopen diplomatic channels with Qatar.

*^{UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan receives Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Image Credit: Abdulla Al Neyadi/UAE Presidential Court/via Reuters)}*

The United States welcomed the resumption of diplomatic relations and the reopening of embassies by Qatar and UAE. The U.S. Department of State statement read, “This is another important step forward among our Gulf Cooperation Council partners to promote regional stability and mutual cooperation.”

The Statement Department added that the U.S. is “fully committed to working with GCC and other regional partners to build a more secure, integrated, peaceful, and prosperous Middle East region”.

Easing rivalries in the Middle East

A new wave of diplomatic engagements has taken over the Middle East with Saudi Arabia leading the charge and forging deeper connections with its fellow Muslim states.

The Kingdom has cemented its place as a major regional player with its leadership steering the recent wave of restoration of diplomatic ties between Middle Eastern countries. A China-brokered agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran ended the years-long rivalry between the two states earlier this year, resulting in the resumption of diplomatic ties.

Saudi Arabia is also playing a major role in resolving the refugee crisis in Sudan after the latest outbreak of deadly clashes as well as taking part in ceasefire talks.

Another major progress was seen in Syria as Damascus got reinstated into the Arab League after 12 years of isolation. Syrian President Bashar Al Assad attended the Arab League Summit 2023, for the first time in many years.