Doha: The Gulf countries— Qatar and Bahrain to restore diplomatic relations after a six years-long dispute.
This came at the conclusion of the second meeting of the Qatari-Bahraini Follow-up Committee at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in the Saudi capital, Riyadh on Wednesday.
Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the step comes out of the desire of the two sides to activate joint Gulf action, in accordance with respect for the sovereignty of states.
The two sides affirmed that the step “comes out of a mutual desire to develop bilateral relations and enhance Gulf integration and unity and respect for the principles of equality between states, national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and good neighborliness.”
It is noteworthy that the Qatari-Bahraini follow-up committee held its first meeting in February, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh.
This is in order to discuss ending the outstanding issues between the two countries.
The meeting discussed the necessary procedures and mechanisms, and ways to ensure the success of the bilateral talks to end the outstanding issues between the two countries, according to the outcomes of the “Al-Ula” summit, and in a way that achieves the interests of the two countries.
The decision comes within the implementation of the outcomes of the “Al-Ula” summit, which was held in Saudi Arabia in early 2021, to end the Gulf dispute, which lasted for more than three years.
Saudi Arabia, along with its allies Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, severed relations with Doha in June 2017.
They were angered by Qatar’s support for Islamist groups that came to power in some countries in the wake of the Arab Spring protests in 2011, and that other authoritarian countries consider terrorist organizations.
