Alwaght- Ali Ahmad al-Sulaiti, Qatar’s ambassador to Iran, arrived in the Iranian capital on Friday and resumed work in his country’s embassy in Tehran on Saturday.
Before resumption of the Qatari embassy work, the media reports suggested that the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif talked over phone to his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The Qatari official during the call had informed the Iranian FM of the intention to send back to Tehran the Qatari ambassador, something drew welcome of the Iranian foreign ministry.
On the same day, Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs released a statement, announcing that Doha's ambassador to Tehran will return to the Iranian capital to do his diplomatic duties as Doha wanted to strengthen its ties in all fields with the Islamic Republic.
In early January 2016, Qatar recalled its ambassador to Iran and cut diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic following escalation of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and a set of allied Arab states cut diplomatic ties with Iran as tensions escalated with Tehran following big number of deaths of Iranians in Hajj 2015 and also Tehran’s strong protest to Riyadh’s execution of the top Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr in early 2016. Now and after diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led pocket of Arab states, Doha has decided to restore diplomatic relations with Tehran after a 20-month hiatus.
Upon eruption of the Qatari row with Saudi Arabia and the allied Egypt, the UAE, and Bahrain that imposed a full blockade on the small Persian Gulf emirate from the air, sea, and land, Iran and Turkey were the only two regional countries that provided Qatar with its necessary goods and also opened their skies to the Qatari carriers.
The UAE reacts to close Iran-Qatar relations
Qatar's closeness to Iran has aroused the ire of Abu Dhabi. On Saturday, the Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Qarqash blasted Qatar for sending its ambassador back to Iran. Qarqash further maintained that ambassador’s return marked the fact that Doha was politically dualist and easily swayed.
The Emirati official further noted that the wise way is that Qatar deals seriously with the crisis and the other issues surrounding it. Accusing Qatar of “burning bridges”, Qarqash said that new Qatar plans only make things worse and add to the troubles.
Qatar has the initiative
But experts argue that the Doha’s decision to return its ambassador to Tehran signaled Qatar intention to make a change, apparently to exit a state of passiveness that followed the crisis with Arab countries and to embark on an active foreign policy and demonstrate a power to take the initiative.
Now things have changed for Doha. With this step, the four blockading countries are forced to react to Qatar’s measure, just contrary to the initial stages of crisis in which Qatar had to respond. Many see the UAE criticism of Doha step as a signal that Abu Dhabi is now in a state of diplomatic passiveness in relation to Qatar. Other sanctioning parties are believed to have been disarmed diplomatically and at best can only passively lash out at Doha for Iran ties.
Restoration of ties with Iran is not the only initiative by Qatar. It also recently filed a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over the Saudi-led air embargo. The complaint will possibly see the blockading parties to present reasons for their moves against Qatar. But air embargo against a third country during the non-military struggles violates the ICAO protocols. So the ICAO’s expected ruling over the case will not serve the sanctioning sides’ interests.
