Qatar restores its ambassador to Tehran
By Ali Mustafayev
Qatar, which found itself at the centre of the Gulf diplomatic crisis in early June, has restored full diplomatic relations with Iran.
Doha, disregarding the demands of Arab nations to lessen its ties to Tehran, announced that its ambassador will return to Iran about 2 years after he was recalled in protest over the conflict between Riyadh and Tehran.
Qatar recalled its ambassador to Tehran in January 2016 after Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran, accusing it of failing to protect its embassy in the capital and consulate in Mashahd against protesters who had ransacked them.
The Qatari foreign ministry announced on August 24 its ambassador would "return to resume his diplomatic duties", as Doha wanted to strengthen ties in all fields with the Islamic Republic, according to Aljazeera.
Although the exact date of ambassador’s return and his name remain unknown, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed "bilateral relations and means of boosting and developing them" in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif.
The decision to restore ties with Iran comes on the backdrop of the diplomatic dispute between Qatar and several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.
The four nations accuse Doha of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries and financing terrorism. Doha refused the claims dismissing them as "baseless".
Despite some brief glimmers of hope, the conflict still remains an important issue not only for the Middle-East, but for the whole world.
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