Qatar and Bahrain have agreed to restore diplomatic relations, which were severed in 2017, the Qatari MFA reports.
According to the statement published on the ministry's website, the second meeting of the Bahrain-Qatar follow-up committee was held on Wednesday, during which "it was decided to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." The committee meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh.
"Both sides confirmed that the step stems from a mutual desire to develop bilateral relations, promote integration and strengthen the unity of the Gulf countries in accordance with the objectives of the GCC Charter, to respect the principles of equality and good neighborliness, national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," the statement said.
In the summer of 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced that they had severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. This was followed by economic sanctions and a transport blockade of Qatar.
In January 2021, the Arabian monarchies and Egypt signed an agreement at the summit of the GCC Cooperation Council in AlUla to end all disputes with Qatar, restore full diplomatic relations with it, and lift the transport blockade.
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Based on materials from TASS