The Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Qatar has agreed to restore diplomatic relations after 6 years of blockade. Four Arab nations had in 2017 imposed a blockade on Qatar over what they said was Qatar’s support for Islamist groups that rose to power in some countries following the 2011 Arab Spring protest.
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The four nations viewed the Islamist groups as terrorist organizations, the blockade was lifted at the start of 2021. The boycott had little impact on Qatar’s economy, however. The tiny Gulf country, which hosted soccer’s World Cup last year, is one of the wealthiest countries on Earth owing to its vast natural gas reserves. Turkey, which is also friendly to Islamist groups, stepped in to aid Qatar during the crisis.
Bahrain was the last holdout of the four, as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt had al restored ties with Qatar, with top leaders paying official visits in recent months.
Bahrain and Qatar each issued official statements announcing the decision to restore relations following a meeting between their delegations at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-nation bloc of which both are members, in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
The agreement between Bahrain and Qatar on Wednesday comes on the back of a regionwide efforts by neighboring countries that has been longtime enemies to repair relations following years of war and unrest sparked by the 2011 protests.
On the same Wednesday, Saudi Arabia welcomed Syria’s foreign minister, another sign that the Arab League might be ready to reinstate Damascus after suspending its membership more than a decade ago as Syrian President Bashar Assad launched a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests..
In March, in an agreement brokered by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations that had been severed in 2016.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
