Riyadh, 12 Apr. 2023 (TRT)

Qatar and Bahrain will resume their diplomatic ties, both sides said, after their officials met in Riyadh, where Iran and Syrian delegations held talks with Saudi officials in separate meetings to repair and resume diplomatic relations.

The Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee held its second meeting at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat in the Saudi capital, where the decision was made, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in its statement on Wednesday.

The Bahraini delegation was headed by the Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and the Qatari delegation was headed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General, Dr Ahmed Hassan Al Hammadi, Bahrain News Agency said.

“The two sides confirmed that this decision stems from the mutual desire to develop bilateral relations and enhance GCC integration and unity in accordance with the objectives of the GCC Statute, and respect for the principles of equality between states, national sovereignty and independence, territorial integrity, and good neighbourliness.”

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

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

In January, Bahrain’s crown prince spoke with Qatar’s emir by telephone, in a sign the two Gulf states were moving towards repairing relations.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia and its allies severed ties with the tiny gas-rich Gulf monarchy of Qatar and imposed a blockade on it, accusing Doha of being too close to Iran and backing extremism — charges Doha has always denied.

Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has led efforts to rebuild ties with Qatar and, along with Egypt, re-established diplomatic relations.