Qatar welcomes Saudi ambassador after four years of diplomatic ceasefire

Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, has welcomed Saudi Arabia's new ambassador, Mansour bin Khalid al-Saud, to Doha. This welcome would be the first official rapprochement between the two countries after four years of a diplomatic freeze between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours.

In this regard, Saudi Arabia together with the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain agreed to end the isolation they had imposed on Qatar in mid-2017. Last January, the five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries signed an agreement reactivating diplomatic relations with Doha with the aim of returning to neighbourliness and cooperation. Kuwait was a key player in this revival and, together with the United States, managed to lay the foundations for reconciliation. 

Following the embrace between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, a historic rapprochement was sealed, ending four years of isolation and hostilities. Prince Salman called the pact a symbol of "solidarity and stability" in the region, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the development signified "a turning of the page on all points of difference and a full return of diplomatic relations".

Saudi Arabia was thus the first GCC country to take the first step towards restoring relations. Similarly, commercial flights have resumed and land crossings between Saudi Arabia and Qatar have reopened. 

During the nearly four-year diplomatic crisis between Qatar and the four Council nations, the four countries created a list of 13 demands that Qatar had to meet if it wanted to re-engage in diplomatic relations. Among the demands were the closure of a Turkish military base operating in Qatar, a halt to the broadcasting of the Arabic channel Al-Jazeera, and an end to funding for extremist and radical groups. Similarly, it included abandoning contact with Iran, which its Gulf and Western adversaries accuse of "destabilising activities in the region".

In this vein, the diplomatic ceasefire itself came after accusing Qatar of supporting Islamist groups and of maintaining "excessive rapprochement" with Turkey and Iran. However, Doha did not comply with any of these claims. Sources told EFE at the time that "the current blockade is unjustified, unwarranted and unprovoked" and that "this is a dispute about Qatar's foreign policy, sovereignty and independence". 

The diplomatic disagreement resulted in the blockade and suspension of airspace for Qatari aircraft and the closure of borders, as well as restrictions on the movement of citizens. These measures were denounced by Doha, which claimed that the restrictions were "an attack on its sovereignty".

However, with the recent diplomatic frenzy between Qatar and the four countries, the region has shown its desire to re-engage, despite the fact that there are still notable differences. 

The reopening by air and land, together with the recent arrival of the ambassador, has brought about a resolution that points to good understanding. In this line, the diplomatic re-establishment has been framed in a context marked by the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and low oil prices.

In this sense, it seems that the foundations for a return to good diplomacy are in place, but these are still the first steps on a long road that is not exempt from the possibility of a return to hostilities.