DOHA, April 13, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Qatar and Bahrain announced late Wednesday
that they had agreed to end a long-running diplomatic feud and re-establish
relations.

Bahrain in 2017 joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in
imposing a diplomatic blockade on Qatar. The countries' rivalry goes back
even further, however, and Bahrain is the last to renew ties.

Agreement on the reconciliation was reached in talks at the Gulf Cooperation
Council headquarters in Saudi Arabia, Qatar's foreign ministry said.

The neighbours "decided to restore diplomatic relations between the two
countries according to the principles of the United Nations charter", said a
foreign ministry statement.

"The two sides affirmed that this step stems from the mutual desire to
develop bilateral relations and enhance Gulf unity and integration," it
added.

Bahrain's foreign ministry released a similar statement, the country's state
news agency reported.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a blockade in 2017, accusing
Qatar of supporting extremist organisations in the region and becoming too
close to Iran.

The four countries banned Qatari planes and ships from using their airspace
and territorial waters.

A reconciliation accord was sealed in January 2021. The three other states
have already renewed relations, though the UAE and Qatar have yet to reopen
their embassies.

UAE and Qatari officials held their latest reconciliation meeting last week,
with a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson describing a "positive
atmosphere".

Relations between Qatar and Bahrain have been more difficult to restore
because of thorny issues including their maritime border. The two sides
regularly accuse each other of illegally detaining fishermen from the other
country.

The Qatar-Bahrain reconciliation comes amid a flurry of regional efforts to
resolve disputes. Arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed last month to
resume relations seven years after formally breaking off ties.