Bahrain’s crown prince and the Qatari emir have held a phone conversation, according to Bahraini state media, in a sign the two Gulf states could move towards repairing ties two years after the lifting of a regional boycott of Qatar
According to BNA, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the crown prince and prime minister of Bahrain, “emphasised the necessity of concerted efforts to settle all lingering disagreements” during a phone discussion with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Additionally, it was decided that representatives from the two nations will keep in touch.
The discussion followed the participation of the emir of Qatar and the king of Bahrain at a mini-Arab summit that the president of the UAE hosted in Abu Dhabi last week and which also included the heads of state of Oman, Jordan, and Egypt. Concerns over Qatar’s backing of Islamist movements seen as a danger by its Arab neighbours as well as its relations with Shi’ite Muslim superpowers Iran and Turkey were at the crux of the dispute that prompted the quartet to cut all ties with Qatar in 2017. Saudi Arabia, a major player in the region, has taken the lead in efforts to mend fences with Qatar and has restored diplomatic ties alongside Egypt. Bahrain and the UAE have not yet done so.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have taken steps to strengthen their ties with Turkey and interact with Iran in an effort to defuse tensions while they concentrate on economic goals. Deep anxiety exists regarding Qatar’s ties to Iran in Bahrain, a Sunni Muslim-run monarchy with a restive Shi’ite population. Bahrain and Qatar are at odds over territory.
