United Arab Emirates, Qatar end diplomatic dispute, reopen embassies

There has been a rift between the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for the past six years, but the two countries have now declared that their embassies will reopen.

On Monday, both governments issued statements declaring that diplomatic relations between the two countries had been restored, AL Jazeera has reported.

This included the reopening of the Emirati embassy in Doha and the reopening of the Qatari embassy in Abu Dhabi.

However, the statements did not say if ambassadors were in place or if the missions were open to the public.

Qatar reported that the two countries' foreign ministers spoke by phone to congratulate each other on the reopening of diplomatic missions.

"The United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar announced the restoration of diplomatic representation between the two countries," said a statement on the UAE's official WAM news agency.

The United Arab Emirates joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt in imposing a boycott and blockade of Qatar in 2017, citing Doha's support for "terrorist" organizations and growing ties to Iran. Qatar has unequivocally refuted all allegations.

Qatar's gas wealth and close ties with Turkey and Iran enabled it to withstand the unprecedented diplomatic crisis.

The boycott was lifted officially in January of 2021. As it hosted the FIFA World Cup late last year, Qatar welcomed visiting leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.