Winds of hope are blowing across the Middle East . Qatar, Bahrain to restore ties

For the first time in decades, the winds of hope are blowing across the Middle East as the Beijing-backed Saudi-Iran peace deal started to pay dividends .

Qatar and Bahrain agreed on resolving a years-long dispute and restoring diplomatic ties.

The move comes over two years after an Arab boycott of Qatar was lifted.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in January 2021 ended a 3-1/2-year embargo of Qatar but all but Bahrain restored travel and trade links in 2021.

Delegates from the two countries met on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General Secretariat in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the countries’ foreign ministries said in separate statements.

Both sides met to “enhance the Gulf unity and integration according to the GCC Charter”, Qatar’s foreign ministry said in its statement.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi met with Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Political Affairs Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa to discuss resolving a feud that dates back to 2017.

That year, Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, imposed a diplomatic blockade on Qatar over claims 

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

Back in January, Bahrain’s crown prince and the Qatari emir had a phone call to discuss their differences, in a move that foreshadowed thawing relations between the two.

The four Arab countries had banned Qatari planes and ships from using their airspace and waters, and cut trade links. In 2021, however, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt resumed these ties, although the UAE and Qatar have yet to open their respective embassies.

Bahrain’s dispute with Qatar centred mostly on the latter’s relationship with Iran and issues along their maritime border.

The restoration of ties comes amid a number of other efforts to resolve regional disputes, including between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Al Jazeera , Reuters, News Agencies