DUBAI (Reuters) – Qatar has not taken any initiative to solve the problems with Bahrain, despite an agreement to end a rift of more than three years, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani said on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed earlier this month at a summit to restore diplomatic, trade and travel ties severed in 2017 over accusations that Qatar supported terrorism, a charge it denies.
The emerging deal followed mediation efforts by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Kuwait.
“Qatar didn’t show after the summit in al-Ula (Saudi Arabia) any initiative to solve pending problems with Bahrain,” said Zayani, according to a post by his ministry on Twitter. He did not elaborate on the issues that need to be solved.
His criticism contrasted with an upbeat assessment of the relationship with Qatar by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, who told the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel on Thursday the kingdom’s embassy in Doha should reopen “in days”.
(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Gareth Jones)
