Doha: Over two years after the Arab boycott of Qatar was eased, Qatar and Bahrain have declared that they will reestablish diplomatic ties. A three and a half year embargo on Qatar was lifted in January 2021 by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt; all countries except Bahrain having already resumed travel and commerce links by that time. The decision to resume diplomatic relations was made during the second meeting of the Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee held at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat in the Saudi capital.
Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, hailed the agreement and emphasised its significance in fostering cooperative Gulf action for the better future of GCC nations. The Arab League, the United States, Russia, and other GCC nations' foreign ministries have all praised the move.
The end of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at AlUla, Saudi Arabia, was marked with the signing of the AlUla Declaration on January 5, 2021. It called for unity and the improvement of ties between GCC nations and settled the disagreement with Qatar. The proclamation also reaffirmed the GCC member states' dedication to developing coordination and integration in all areas in order to eventually create a union of nations. Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar held their fourth joint meeting in Abu Dhabi to follow up on the implementation of the AlUla Declaration.