The United Arab Emirates on Friday said it would reopen its land, air, and sea entry points to Qatar after imposing an embargo on the energy-rich nation alongside its Gulf allies since 2017.
The move to revive trade and travel would take effect Saturday, Foreign Ministry official Khalid Abdullah Belhou said in remarks quoted by UAE's government-run WAM news agency.
The decision comes days after Saudi Arabia announced a new accord that puts closure in a bitter standoff between Gulf Arab nations and Qatar during a summit on Tuesday.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain implemented the boycott on Qatar over accusations it was providing support to terroristic activities and is cozying up to adversary, Iran. Qatar dismissed the claims and said the boycott was intended to harm its sovereignty.
The accord is likely to have seen lawsuits withdrawn in return for the four states easing tensions in ties with Qatar, which said the embargo had cost the government $5 billion.
The Kingdom's move is viewed by political luminaries to have been prompted by Saudi's aspiration to win favor with incoming U.S. President Joe Biden after he defeated Donald Trump in the November polls. Trump had close personal relations with the crown prince.
Saudi Arabia disclosed the reopening of its borders with Qatar earlier this week. Qatar Airways said it had begun rerouting some flights through Saudi Arabia, with the first flight covering Saudi airspace from Doha to South Africa on Thursday night.
Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said the new course of actions would include "practical measures of airlines, shipping, and trade." Restored air routes to the UAE's regional aerospace channel will be significant for Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Gianni Infantino, president of soccer's global governing body FIFA, was happy in the thawing in relations, calling it "a very positive step for the region on the path to reconciliation."
When normality resumes to the Gulf region and the rest of the world, there are likely to be fewer flights due to the downturn in demand for air travel.
Qatar Airways may also move to slash some of its services - which include Birmingham and Cardiff to Doha - and redeploy commercial planes on regional flights to cater to newly revived air routes.
Egypt and Bahrain have yet to publicly provide details on their pledges to alleviate the embargo signed this week in the ancient Saudi desert site of al-Ula.
