Qatar and the UAE reopened their embassies in each country yesterday, two years after Arab states ended their embargo of Qatar, according to a statement by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt had severed ties with Qatar in 2017 after accusing the state of supporting terrorism and pursuing closer ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia and Egypt were the first to effect a rapprochement, reinstating diplomatic relations with Qatar in 2021, Reuters writes.

Iran + Uzbekistan ink transport MoU: Iran and Uzbekistan have signed an MoU in Tehran to boost bilateral cooperation in transport and transit, Mehr News Agency reports. The agreement involves developing road and rail transport, facilitating connections between Iran and Central Asian countries through Uzbekistan, and eliminating duties for the road fleet in the territory of each country. The MoU also involves developing transit routes between the two nations, particularly multimodal transport, and operating the southern branch of the East-West Corridor from the southern ports of Iran to Central Asia.

The two countries are also implementing an action plan within three months to upgrade supply chain management capacity in transport and freight to 5 mn tons a year, according to Mehr. The two sides have also agreed to hold meetings to determine a competitive tariff along the rail corridor connecting China, Turkey, and Europe.

They also expressed their readiness to increase the frequency of regular flights and grant incentives for maritime and port services to ensure easier freight transit from Uzbekistan to Iran’s southern port.

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