All Entry Points Reopened between Qatar and UAE
All land, sea, and air routes between the two nations will be reopened.
Last week, we had reported about Qatar and Saudi Arabia reopening their maritime borders. As a follow-up to that story, we can now confirm the reopening of all entry points between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, including those via land, sea, and air. This landmark decision follows key breakthroughs made at the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) meeting we had reported about.
Since mid-2017, GCC countries have been involved in ongoing spats with Qatar over allegations of terror funding as well as its proximity to Iran (Iran has traditionally been considered a foe of GCC countries). On its part, Doha has consistently denied all such allegations, deeming them to be an attempt at curbing the country’s sovereignty.
Commenting on this development, Anwar Gargash, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that resumption of trade and travel links between the UAE and Qatar would involve “practical measures of airlines, shipping, and trade”. On its part, Qatar Airways has already started rerouting some of its flights over Saudi airspace – which it had hitherto been avoiding.
