As confirmed by both the ministeries, Qatar and Bahrain will resume their diplomatic ties that were severed in 2017.
On Wednesday, 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 two countries said in separate statements.
The quatret back in 2017 had broken ties with Qatar over issues that centered around its support for Islamist movements deemed a threat by Arab neighbours and its ties with Shi’ite Muslim power Iran and Turkey. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt in January 2021 ended a 3-1/2-year embargo of Qatar but all but Bahrain restored travel and trade links in 2021.
Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has led efforts to rebuild ties with Qatar and, along with Egypt, re-established diplomatic relations.
The agreement comes amid regionwide efforts by longtime enemies to repair relations following years of war and unrest sparked by the 2011 protests.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival, Iran, agreed to restore diplomatic ties that had been severed in 2016, in an agreement brokered by China.