Saudi Arabia to reopen embassy in Doha 'within days' says foreign minister
Move comes after two nations re-established ties following a breakthrough deal to end a three-year dispute
January 16, 2021
Updated: January 26, 2021
Saudi Arabia expects to reopen its embassy in Qatar in the coming days, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said on Saturday.
It is just a matter of logistics, Prince Faisal said in Riyadh.
Full diplomatic relations will resume, he said during a press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Riyadh.
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Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar in mid-2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and meddling in the affairs of neighbouring states. Qatar denied the accusation.
On January 5, regional officials – including Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim – met for the 41st Gulf Co-operation Council summit and signed the Al Ula declaration to re-establish ties. The move followed a breakthrough in efforts backed by the Gulf countries and the US to end the three-year crisis.
The countries have opened up their air spaces to each other and some flights have resumed.
Prince Faisal and Mr Safadi also discussed ties and trade relations.
“We are working to develop our relationship with the GCC on the security, political and economic levels,” Mr Safadi said.
Updated: January 26, 2021 08:33 PM
