Sunday, Qatar announced its decision to appoint an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant step following the reopening of the embassies in Doha and Abu Dhabi after years of severed relations.

In a statement issued by the Qatari Amiri Diwan, it was revealed that the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, appointed Dr. Sultan Salmeen Saeed Al-Mansouri as the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United Arab Emirates.

The decision is set to take effect immediately from the date of its issuance and will be published in the Official Gazette.

Relations between Qatar and the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt, were severed in 2017.