🌍🕊️ UAE and Qatar Un-frenemy Each Other! Embassies Reopen in a Historical 💃💥 Gulf Dance!
TL;DR: In an exciting shakeup of Gulf Arab diplomacy, the UAE and Qatar have decided to play nice again! 😮🎉 They’ve reopened their embassies after a few frosty years due to political disagreements. 🌬️🏛️ So, what triggered this sudden heart-warming reunion? Is it a genuine mending of ties or just a political manoeuvre? Let’s delve into it. 💼🔍
Once upon a time, in the heat-soaked landscapes of the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar were not on the best of terms. Picture a year-long feud, boycotts, blockades and enough diplomatic tension to cut with a knife.🔪 But now, in an unexpected twist, these Gulf bros have decided to let bygones be bygones. And no, we aren’t talking about a sweet brotherly hug or exchange of pleasantries over a cup of Arabic coffee ☕️🤝. We’re talking about a full-fledged reopening of embassies! How’s that for a peace offering? 🕊️🏛️
This Monday marked a turning point in their diplomatic relations. The Qatari Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a Qatari Consulate in Dubai, along with an Emirati Embassy in Qatar’s capital, Doha, got their gears grinding again. 👏🌐 However, the embassies were pretty tight-lipped about whether ambassadors were in place or if they were open for the general public to snoop around. Guess we’ll have to wait and see…🧐🔭
You see, the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt, had launched a boycott and blockade of Qatar back in 2017. 😤🚧 This was mainly due to Qatar’s association with Islamist groups in the Middle East, especially those that gained power after the Arab Spring protests in 2011. Now, just like you wouldn’t want your friend hanging out with the bullies in the playground, the other Arab countries didn’t take too kindly to Qatar’s choice of friends. So, they did what any concerned friend would do – they boycotted and blockaded Qatar! 😲🛑
But wait, there’s more! These countries also viewed these groups as terrorists, including Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood that won free and fair elections but got kicked out after a year’s divisive rule. Whoa, talk about controversy! 😳💣
Meanwhile, Qatar, who is a close buddy of the US just like the other Arab countries, has been consistently denying supporting terror groups. Instead, it claims to have served as a key mediator in US negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Afghan Taliban. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place! 🤷🗿
Initially, this diplomatic unrest among the usually friendly Gulf Arab countries had everyone worried about a potential armed conflict. 💥🔫 But, thanks to Qatar’s gas riches and close ties with Turkey and Iran, it managed to dodge the economic sanctions bullet. Phew! 😅💰 The diplomatic ice began to melt, and relations slowly started warming up. The boycott was officially lifted in January 2021, and late last year, Qatar even played host to visiting leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE during soccer’s World Cup. Talk about kicking the ball into the goal of diplomacy! ⚽️🥅
So, we’ve reached a crucial question. Is this new peace offering
