Dubai, UAE— The UAE and Qatar have announced the restoration of diplomatic ties after breaking off relations in 2017.
According to Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs, Qatar’s embassy will reopen in Abu Dhabi, as will its consulate in Dubai.
The UAE will reopen its embassy in Doha.
The ministry said in a statement that the restoration of ties “represents the will of both countries’ leaders to strengthen joint Arab collaboration and achieve the aspirations of both peoples.”
The UAE’s foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who is also the prime minister, exchanged congratulations on the return of embassies.
Both officials hailed the restoration of ties as heralding a “new stage of cooperation and partnership” that confirms the deeply rooted relations that bind both countries. They also discussed ways to boost cooperation.
Four countries, including the UAE, ended a boycott against Qatar in January 2021.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt were the first to reappoint ambassadors to Doha in 2021 after a Saudi-led deal to end the feud, while Bahrain has yet to reopen its embassy in Doha.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan made his first trip to Qatar since the boycott during the World Cup in Dec. 5, 2022.
The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation with Iran and Saudi Arabia agreeing last month to re-establish relations after years of hostility, which threatened instability in the Gulf and stoked the war in Yemen.
Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have moved to end a decade-long isolation of Syria, which had been boycotted over its crackdown on protests in 2011 – violence that led to a protracted civil war.
In Yemen, the Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia held a round of peace talks this week, exchanging hundreds of detainees, a significant peace-building move.
In mid-2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed all ties with Qatar over accusations it supported terrorism, a reference to Islamist groups, and was cosying up to Iran, accusations Doha denied.
Riyadh and Cairo were the first to reappoint ambassadors to Doha in 2021 after a Saudi-led deal to end the dispute, while Bahrain last week announced it would restore diplomatic ties.
All nations, with the exception of Bahrain, had restored trade and travel links with Qatar in early 2021, when the UAE had suggested resuming diplomatic ties would take time.
Relations between the UAE and Qatar warmed last year and leaders of both countries met face-to-face.