Dubai, UAE— Qatar and Bahrain have agreed to restart flights toward the end of the month, in a sign of warming relations between the estranged countries.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the resumption of flights between Bahrain and Qatar “comes within the framework of the brotherly relations between the two brotherly countries and peoples, and in a manner that achieves” their common aspirations.”
The two countries re-established relations in April 2023 in a meeting held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Bahrain took part in a nearly four-year Gulf blockade of Qatar that stemmed from acrimony over Doha’s ties to Iran, its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and other Islamist movements that Saudi Arabia and its allies labelled “terrorists”. Qatar denied the allegations.
The Gulf states have since moved to patch up ties in a tide of regional rapprochement. While Saudi Arabia moved quicker to reestablish relations with Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain have been slower.
GCC states have looked to move past tensions as they focus on shoring up their domestic economies, riding a wave of high oil and gas prices that have allowed them to plow funds into megaprojects.
The Qatar-hosted World Cup last year gave Middle Eastern leaders a high-profile format to express the shift in their approach to the region for the entire world to see.
During the tournament, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was seen sporting a scarf in the colours of the Qatari flag. Qatar’s emir reciprocated by draping a Saudi flag around his shoulders.
More recently, Saudi Arabia has sought to position itself as a mediator in regional conflicts such as in Sudan, where it has made a series of attempts with US backing to negotiate a truce.