Qatar and Bahrain agree to restore diplomatic ties after six years

The two GCC states made the announcement after their officials held talks in Riyadh

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif Al Zayani during their meeting in Riyadh. Reuters

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

Both countries' state news agencies 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. Except Bahrain, the other three countries restored travel and trade links with Doha in 2021.

On Wednesday, the Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee held its second meeting at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat in the Saudi capital where the decision was made, the two countries said in separate statements.

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 as well as a contributing to unity among the Gulf Co-operation Council member countries", state news agency Kuna reported.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, backed the resumption of diplomatic relations, in comments carried by state news agency Wam.

He said the agreement was an important step towards supporting efforts to advance joint Gulf action and would serve the common interests of both nations and the region

His wished both countries further prosperity and development.

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

The reconciliation between Qatar and Bahrain, both 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 a latest sign that the Arab League might be ready to reinstate Damascus. Syria's membership was suspended more than a decade ago when President Bashar Al Assad launched a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

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.