The governments of Bahrain and Qatar announced on Wednesday the restoration of their diplomatic relations, ending their long-running dispute.

The reconciliation agreement was concluded during talks between delegations of the two sides at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Saudi Arabia, according to a press release from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The parties decided to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, according to the text. Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a similar statement, according to the emirate’s state news agency.

Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar in 2017, offended by how it supported extremist organizations in the region.

Although in January 2021 the Gulf countries signed a reconciliation agreement in Saudi Arabia, relations between the two neighboring states were not restored.

The remaining three states had already announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Qatar, although the UAE and Qatar have yet to reopen their embassies. Representatives of the UAE and Qatar participated in the latest meeting as part of the process of restoring their relations last week.

But relations between Qatar and Bahrain were considered more difficult to normalize, due to thorny issues that mainly concern disputes over their maritime borders. The two sides often accuse each other of arresting fishermen.

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The restoration of their ties was announced against the background of diplomatic efforts in the region to resolve various crises, especially after the Chinese-brokered restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, received Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Wednesday.

Syria’s Foreign Minister visits the Kingdom in response to an invitation by Saudi Prince’s Counterpart Faisal bin Farhan to participate in a discussion meeting, regarding efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria that preserves the unity, security, and stability of the country.

The session will also focus on facilitating the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid to the affected areas in Syria.

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