The governments of Bahrain and Qatar announced on Wednesday night the restoration of diplomatic relations, ending their long-running dispute.

The reconciliation agreement was concluded during talks between delegations of the two sides at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Saudi Arabia, according to a press release from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The parties “decided to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter,” according to the text.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry issued a similar statement, according to the emirate’s state news agency.

Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing it of supporting “extremist” organizations in the region.

Although, in January 2021, the Gulf countries signed a reconciliation agreement in Saudi Arabia, relations between the two neighboring states were not restored.

The remaining three states had already announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Qatar, although the UAE and Qatar have yet to reopen their embassies.

Representatives of the UAE and Qatar participated in the latest meeting as part of the process of rewarming their relations last week.

But relations between Qatar and Bahrain were considered more difficult to normalize, due to thorny issues that mainly concern disputes over their maritime borders. The two sides often accuse each other of arresting fishermen.

The restoration of their ties was announced against the background of diplomatic efforts in the region to resolve various crises, especially after the Chinese-brokered restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March.