On January 4, 2021, Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed on a Kuwait- and U.S.-brokered solution to the crisis. Saudi Arabia will reopen its border with Qatar and begin the reconciliation process. [7] An agreement and a final communiqué signed on 5 January 2021 following a GCC summit in Al-`Ula mark the solution to the crisis, with exact details to be published at a later date. [4] On January 7, 2021, Al Jazeera presented an “English translation of the summit`s full final declaration.” [16] Qatar and Saudi Arabia are on the verge of reaching an agreement in principle to end a dispute that has pitted Gulf neighbors against each other for more than three years, sources told Al Jazeera. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres welcomed the resolution of the crisis and the opening of air, land and sea borders between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Qatar. In a statement dated January 5, 2021, he expressed the hope that “all countries concerned will continue to act in a positive spirit to strengthen their relations.” He also acknowledged the roles of the late Emir of Kuwait and the late Sultan of Oman, who worked tirelessly to bridge the Gulf gap. [257] A Middle East political analyst believed that the secret pact between Gulf leaders was likely to be multi-layered, involving multiple bilateral agreements between individual states rather than a single document. [258] After Saudi Arabia refused to accept U.S.
troops preparing for war in Iraq, the U.S. signed a military agreement with Qatar in early 2002, culminating in the opening of the Al Udeid airbase. [21] This was an important phase in Qatar`s removal from Saudi influence, as the US base guaranteed Qatar`s protection from possible military interventions by Saudi Arabia and its allies. [2] On January 5, 2021, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived for a GCC summit in the Old City of Al-`Ula in Saudi Arabia. [255] Later, the leaders signed the Al-`Ula Declaration. Before the signing, Bin Salman said that support for Kuwait and the United States led to “the Al`Ula Declaration Agreement signed at this blessed summit that emphasized Gulf solidarity and stability, Arab and Islamic.” [5] In addition to the statement, a final communiqué was signed, but the content of which is not yet known, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said that he and his allies had agreed to restore full relations with Doha, including the resumption of flights. Qatar has apparently not responded to any of the 13 requests, analysts say the Gulf states have instead agreed to a joint security statement. [4] [256] In January 2018, the Qatari ambassador was in talks with Russia with the intention of purchasing S-400 surface-to-air missiles. The two countries signed a military and technical cooperation agreement in 2017. In May 2018, the French daily Le Monde reported that Saudi Arabia`s King Salman would take military action if Qatar installed the Russian air defense system.
However, a senior Russian official noted that the system would also be delivered against Saudi Arabia`s will. [217] The Saudis themselves turned to Russia in 2017 to improve their economic and military relations, but discussions on the arms deal were hampered by concerns from the United States and Saudi Arabia about Russia`s position on Iran`s military and strategic engagement in the Middle East. [218] In June 2018, Qatar expressed its desire to join NATO. [219] However, NATO rejected membership, stating that under Article 10 of NATO`s founding treaty, only other European countries could join. [220] Qatar and NATO signed a joint security agreement in January 2018. [221] LONDON – In a major thaw in relations, the leaders of Saudi Arabia and its regional allies reached a historic agreement with Qatar on Tuesday that ends three and a half years of stalemate and restores relations between its Arab Gulf neighbors. On July 31, 2017, the agency reaffirmed its neutrality in the conflict, announcing that Qatar Airways will have access to three emergency routes in international waters in early August, based on a preliminary agreement reached earlier this month with the Saudi Aviation Authority (GACA). The deal, announced Monday, would allow trade and travel between Saudi Arabia and Qatar for the first time since the four countries blockaded Qatar in June 2017, accusing its leaders of supporting terrorism and Islamists in the region and getting too close to Iran, their enemy. Egypt, which is not part of the GCC, has also signed the agreement. Hoping to put more pressure on Iran before the end of Mr.
Trump`s presidency, government officials have made a concerted effort in recent months for Saudi Arabia and its allies to negotiate with Qatar. The president`s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, traveled to Doha and Riyadh in December to persuade Gulf officials, and he scrambled to save the deal after a last-minute dispute threatened to cancel the deal on Sunday, the administration official said. Qatar is a world leader in the production of liquefied natural gas. Despite the breakdown in relations, Qatari natural gas continues to flow through Dolphin Energy`s Abu Dhabi pipeline to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. [201] The pipeline covers about 30-40% of the UAE`s energy needs. [202] The maritime constraints of the crisis also diverted several oil and gas supplies to and from the Gulf, impacting many local energy markets. On June 8, 2017, gas futures rose nearly 4% in the UK, where nearly a third of all imported gas arrived from Qatar. [203] A side effect of the dispute was the global supply of helium, which is often produced from natural gas. Qatar is the world`s second largest supplier of helium (the United States comes first).
[204] A U.S. official said the deal was the prelude to a broader agreement to end the boycott of Qatar by its Gulf neighbors that has been in place for more than three years. .