Regional rivals end postal freeze against Qatar

A suspension of postal services against Qatar has ended, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt restoring services, the UN postal agency said on Tuesday. Mail links were severed in 2017, as part of a campaign to isolate Doha.

The three nations, along with the United Arab Emirates, cut all diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017. They accused Doha of backing radical Islamists and seeking closer links with Iran – allegations Qatar denies.

The restoration of postal services is a small step towards normalization of relations, but talks to resolve the wider rift have stalled, Qatar said earlier this month.

Oman, along with Kuwait, has been involved in (so far, fruitless) efforts to broker an end to the regional rift and has made its ports available to Qatari imports and exports that would previously have transited via the UAE.