| As reported in our previous client update, on 5 January 2021, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, along with Egypt, signed the “Al-Ula Declaration” at the 41st GCC Summit held in the city of Al-Ula. This marks the end of a three and a half year boycott against the State of Qatar, which was put in place in June 2017. Although the formal text of the “Al-Ula Declaration” has not been made public, it is clear from public statements made by senior Saudi, UAE, Egyptian, Bahraini and Kuwaiti officials that the instrument paves the way for the re-establishment of political and economic ties between Qatar and each of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt (the Quartet). A summary of the official announcements, confirmations with public authorities and practical observations on various measures introduced by the Quartet are set out in our most recent alert, highlighting the recent developments in respect of: Re-opening of borders and resumption of air and sea travel;Customs clearing procedures; and Financial flows and designations under Counter-Terrorism Laws To view the full alert, please click here or the download button below. Despite the lifting of the trade restrictions in relation to Qatar, it is still too early to tell how this will be implemented in practice. We are watching this space carefully, and we continue to engage with various government agencies and authorities in Qatar and the Quartet for clarification and updates. We will issue follow up updates as new developments emerge. For future updates, you can visit and subscribe to our Middle East Insights blog: me-insights.bakermckenzie.com/. *This client alert is not meant to constitute legal advice, and as the situation is constantly evolving, specific advice should be sought from relevant professionals. Should you have any queries, please contact one of our lawyers below. DOWNLOAD ALERT SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG  Ian Siddell Baker McKenzie Managing Partner Bahrain / Qatar [email protected]  Mohsin Iqbal Baker McKenzie Partner Qatar [email protected]  Borys Dackiw Baker McKenzie Partner UAE [email protected]  Samir Safar-Aly Baker McKenzie Senior Associate UAE [email protected]  Jad Slim Legal Advisors Abdulaziz Alajlan & Partners Senior Associate Saudi Arabia [email protected] |
Lifting of restrictions with Qatar – what you need to know
By Borys Dackiw, Ian Siddell, Mohsin Iqbal, Samir Safar-Aly and Jad Slim 2 Mins ReadCategories:
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Borys Dackiw
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Ian Siddell
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Mohsin Iqbal
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Samir Safar-Aly
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Jad Slim