Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, right, receives a copy of the credentials of Saudi ambassador Prince Mansour bin Khalid. AFP
Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, right, receives a copy of the credentials of Saudi ambassador Prince Mansour bin Khalid. AFP
Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, right, receives a copy of the credentials of Saudi ambassador Prince Mansour bin Khalid. AFP
Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, right, receives a copy of the credentials of Saudi ambassador Prince Mansour bin Khalid. AFP

Saudi Arabia reinstates envoy to Qatar in restoration of ties


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia on Sunday reinstated its ambassador to Qatar, Prince Mansour bin Khalid, taking the lead among the four GCC nations to re-establish relations after ending a dispute with Doha this year.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani assured Prince Mansour of "all support to advance bilateral relations to achieve closer co-operation in various fields", the Qatar Foreign Ministry said.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting militant groups. Qatar denied the claims.

The dispute was resolved in January and an agreement was reached to restore political, trade and travel links. Saudi Arabia re-opened its embassy in Doha this year.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told the World Economic Forum in January that it was important for GCC members to fully co-operate with each other.

A united GCC will help in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

On January 5, senior officials, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim, met for the 41st GCC summit and signed Al Ula declaration to re-establish ties.

The move followed efforts backed by the Gulf countries and the US to end the three-year crisis.

Since then, the countries have opened up their air spaces to each other and some flights have resumed.

The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

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