UAE, Qatar officers meet in Kuwait amid Gulf thaw

Feb 22, 2021

Kuwait hosted officers from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Monday of their first such assembly for the reason that Gulf states ended their yearslong rift with Doha, the Emirati state information company reported. 

Saudi Arabia and its allies Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt severed ties with gas-rich Qatar in June 2017, accusing their neighbor of funding terrorism and rising too near Iran and Turkey. 

Doha denies supporting terrorist teams however admits to backing Islamist actions together with Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar, a tiny peninsula within the Persian Gulf, refused to adjust to the Quartet’s 13 situations for lifting the blockade, which included chopping ties with Tehran and shutting down the Qatari-funded Al Jazeera TV community.

After greater than three years of Qatar’s diplomatic and financial isolation, the Saud-led bloc reached a “solidarity and stability” pact with Doha throughout the annual summit of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which was held within the Saudi desert metropolis of Al-Ula in January. 

In keeping with the Emirati state information company WAM, the Emirati and Qatari delegations in Kuwait on Monday “mentioned joint mechanisms and procedures for implementing the Al-Ula assertion.” 

“They emphasised the significance of preserving Gulf kinship and creating joint Gulf motion within the curiosity of GCC nations and their residents, and of attaining stability and prosperity within the area,” WAM stated, with out specifying who from every nation was in attendance. 

The company stated the 2 delegations praised Riyadh for internet hosting the January summit and thanked Kuwait for its mediation efforts.   

Since restoring ties, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has introduced the resumption of flights to Doha, and Qatar Airways is now flying to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In early January, the UAE opened its air, sea and land ports to Qatar.