Qatar Risk Management Report: Tensions with Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain still unresolved

Qatar has been increasingly isolated in the Gulf Co-operation Council because of its perceived support for the Muslim Brotherhood. On 5 March, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain announced they were withdrawing their ambassadors from Doha in response to Qatar’s refusal to abide by the terms of a GCC security agreement; while Qatar has played down the spat, and suggested it is over, the diplomats have yet to return. Bahrain’s state news agency affirmed on 25 May that the GCC was still working on overcoming its differences, and that there was no plan for the Bahraini ambassador to be reinstated in Doha.