DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said Tuesday they are inching closer to reopening embassies in other countries after a year-long boycott of Doha over a political dispute.
Qatar’s foreign media office said in a statement that “work is underway” to reopen embassies “as soon as possible. “countries. “
Neither gave an immediate date for reopening. Reuters was the first to report on the effort.
The United Arab Emirates, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, introduced a boycott of Qatar in 2017, blocking the country’s airline from its airspace, as well as imposing other restrictions. The 4 nations also questioned Qatar’s ties to the Islamists and Iran. as other allegations under the administration of President Donald Trump. The move triggered the biggest diplomatic crisis between the Persian Gulf states since Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
First, Trump gave the impression to all four countries, though he later welcomed the emir of Qatar to the White House in 2019. Qatar, whose wealth comes from an offshore box of herbal fuel it stores with Iran, is home to the headquarters of the U. S. Armed Forces Central Command.
While Kuwait’s then-emir warned that the dispute almost turned into an armed conflict, the boycott ended in 2021, just before President Joe Biden took office.
Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup saw the Egyptian president and Saudi crown prince attend the inauguration. Since then, Qatar’s relations have also thawed with Bahrain and the Emirates.