The government of the Maldives has decided to restore diplomatic relations with Qatar.
Announcing the decision, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid stated that he had engaged in discussions with Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi on Tuesday evening.
Shahid stated that Maldives welcomed the positive developments that followed the GCC summit.
The Qatar diplomatic crisis began on 5 June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and banned Qatar-registered planes and ships from utilizing their airspace and sea routes along with Saudi Arabia blocking Qatar’s only land crossing. They were later joined by Jordan and were supported by the Maldives, Mauritania, Senegal, Djibouti, Comoros, Yemen, and the Tobruk-based government in Libya.
At the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit held recently in Saudi Arabia, Gulf leaders signed an agreement to resolve the diplomatic crisis and renew ties with Qatar. The Maldives announced its decision to restore full diplomatic relations with Qatar, after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations lifted the ban on Qatar, bringing an end to a years-long diplomatic crisis.
The Maldives cut ties with Qatar in 2017, under President Yameen Abdul Gayoom's administration. Restoring diplomatic relations with both Qatar and the Commonwealth had been one of the electoral pledges of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Announcing the decision, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid stated that he had engaged in discussions with Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi on Tuesday evening.
Shahid stated that Maldives welcomed the positive developments that followed the GCC summit.
Maldives welcomes the positive developments following the annual summit of Gulf Cooperation Council. I have had fruitful discussions with the #Qatari authorities and am pleased to announce Government of #Maldives decision to reinstate full diplomatic relations with Qatar.
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) January 6, 2021
The Qatar diplomatic crisis began on 5 June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and banned Qatar-registered planes and ships from utilizing their airspace and sea routes along with Saudi Arabia blocking Qatar’s only land crossing. They were later joined by Jordan and were supported by the Maldives, Mauritania, Senegal, Djibouti, Comoros, Yemen, and the Tobruk-based government in Libya.
At the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit held recently in Saudi Arabia, Gulf leaders signed an agreement to resolve the diplomatic crisis and renew ties with Qatar. The Maldives announced its decision to restore full diplomatic relations with Qatar, after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations lifted the ban on Qatar, bringing an end to a years-long diplomatic crisis.
The Maldives cut ties with Qatar in 2017, under President Yameen Abdul Gayoom's administration. Restoring diplomatic relations with both Qatar and the Commonwealth had been one of the electoral pledges of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
