Daily Times

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have announced the reopening of their embassies after a six-year-long break in ties, effectively restoring diplomatic representation in adherence to the AlUla agreement, formally signed in 2021. To contextualise this situation, the UAE joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt in imposing a boycott and blockade of Qatar in 2017 over what they deemed Doha’s support of terrorist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, and also on account of its special relationship with Iran. While Qatar has vehemently denied these allegations, the ban continued to persist with Doha weathering this unprecedented diplomatic crisis with help from its gas riches and close ties with Turkey and Iran. Days after the meeting, the UAE unblocked a number of Qatar news websites after more than seven years, including heavyweight Al-Jazeera.

After a slow thawing of ties, solidified when Qatar welcomed leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE as it hosted the FIFA World Cup, it appears that things are finally changing. Turkey, who threw its weight behind Qatar during the crisis, has also since amended its ties with rival Gulf countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The reopening of diplomatic missions comes at a time of easing Gulf rivalries all around, with Saudi Arabia and Iran also going ahead to announce the end of a seven-year break in ties, a pivotal moment that no one could’ve anticipated. The deal, brokered by China, was announced after four days of previously undisclosed talks earlier this year and has largely been hailed as a victory for dialogue and peace ever since.

Indeed, the detente between Riyadh and Tehran was quite monumental, since both have long vied for influence around the region, backing opposite sides in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria to elsewhere. Both sides have also benefited heavily from the de-escalation, as Iran seeks to undercut American efforts to isolate it in the region and Saudi Arabia focuses, whose relations with Washington have been strained as of late, focuses on economic development instead. Indeed, their initiative is at least partly responsible for inspiring this recent round of reconciliations, formally marking a new era for the Gulf world. *