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What Qatar and GCC three years-long dispute ending means for the Middle East?

Gulf leaders meeting with its old ally Qatar in Saudi Arabia to end the three-year dispute between a Saudi-led “GCC” bloc and Doha at a time of sharpened regional tensions with especially Iran, calls for stronger ties and regional stability.

The Gulf leaders signed a “solidarity and stability” agreement towards ending the diplomatic rift with Qatar during a summit at Al Ula in Saudi Arabia. Following the summit, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister announced full relations would resume Qatar and Gulf Nations. Bahrain’s foreign ministry said “it had sent an invitation to its Qatari counterpart to send an official delegation to Bahrain as soon as possible, to start bilateral talks on issues and pending matters between the two countries to implement ‘Al-Ula Declaration’ and to reach the grand goals we aim to achieve for the benefit of the citizens of the two brotherly countries and to strengthen joint Gulf action and regional cooperation.

More than a week after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Qatar’s Emir was invited to the Saudi alliance summit amid efforts to fix rifts between Qatar and a Saudi-led GCC alliance, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Saudi Arabia and was warmly greeted with an embrace by the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Premier announced that Saudi would end its year’s long embargo on the Gulf Arab state. The decision to open borders is the first significant step toward ending the diplomatic crisis that had intensely divided U.S. defence partners, frayed societal ties and ripped apart a traditionally clubby alliance of Brotherly Arab states.

This diplomatic breakthrough turned after a final push by the outgoing Donald Trump administration and neighbour Gulf state Kuwait to mediate an end to the crisis. It came just ahead of President-elect Biden’s inauguration as Riyadh braces for a new administration expected to take an adamant stance toward the kingdom. Saudi Arabia moves toward Qatar’s agreements just weeks after President Trump’s advisor and son-in-law, Mr Kushner visited the kingdom and Qatar to secure an end to the rift. Kushner has also reportedly been invited to attend the signing ceremony in Al-Ula.

Significantly, Normalisation with Qatar could gain Saudi Arabia time to compromise with the Biden administration on other issues, like its war in Yemen and The U.S potential re-engagement with Iran. The Gulf leaders reiterated that there had been a desperate need today to unite our efforts to promote our region and confront challenges surrounding us, while especially pointing to the threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme and its plans for sabotage and destruction.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – along with Bahrain, UAE and Egypt – cut all ties with Qatar in June 2017, citing Doha of being too close to Iran and supporting “terrorism.” The Saudi-led alliance issued 13 complete demands, including the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news network’s closure and a Turkish military base shuttering, to end the Qatar blockade, this is also known as the Gulf crisis. Saudi alliance also demanded Doha to curb relations with Riyadh’s archrival – Iran. Qatar rejected the demands, calling them “nonsensical” and “not actionable,” leading to a deadlock. After that, these Four countries announced their stunning blockade on Qatar and cut all transport and diplomatic links. This move separated families of the Brotherly Arab countries who had intermarried with Qataris and ended years of visa-free travel for Qataris in gulf regions. It also pushed Qatar diplomatically closer to Turkey, which is still lasting firmly. It would lead to a balance of power in the Middle East as Qatar may arise as a mediator to ease the Iran – Saudi tensions. It would also like to take its best friend Turkey to his Brotherly Arab Nations, which may significantly lead to a gateway for the Middle East’s cooperation, stability and growth.

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