Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have agreed to restore ties with Qatar in a significant breakthrough that is set to end more than three years of disunity and rancour within the ranks of the west’s Gulf allies.
“All the outstanding [issues], whether returning of diplomatic relations, flights, will go back to normal,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, told reporters. “It’s a very important breakthrough that we believe will contribute very much to the security of all our nations in the region.”
He was speaking after Gulf leaders signed a declaration at a summit held in Saudi Arabia hours after Riyadh announced it was lifting its air, land and sea embargo on Qatar. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt are now expected to follow suit, bringing relief to the Gulf’s biggest crisis in years. It is unclear what the timeline will be.
The rift erupted in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a regional embargo of Qatar, severing…