Egypt, Qatar Hold First Meeting Since Accord Ending Row

Date: 23 February 2021 - 22:11

News ID: ۸۷۹۳۷

DUBAI (Dispatches) – Delegations from Qatar and Egypt met in Kuwait on Tuesday for the first time since an agreement last month to end a rift, Qatar’s foreign ministry said, in a further push to bury a diplomatic feud with repercussions around the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt agreed in January at a summit in Saudi’s al-Ula to restore diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Doha, which had been severed in 2017 over accusations that Qatar supported terrorism, a charge it denies.
Qatar on Monday similarly met a delegation from the United Arab Emirates in Kuwait for their first bilateral talks.
"The two sides welcomed measures each has taken since signing the al-Ula statement, as a step on the path of building confidence between the two fraternal countries,” the statement said.
Since the agreement, air and travel links have resumed between Qatar and the four states. Each state is to arrange bilateral talks with Qatar to resolve individual issues.
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said last month it had written to Qatar inviting Doha to send a delegation to Bahrain to start bilateral talks to implement the al-Ula agreement. Qatar has not yet responded, Bahrain’s foreign minister has said.