Bahrain–Qatar relations

Bahrain - Qatar relations

Bahrain	Qatar

Bahrain–Qatar relations are the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Bahrain. They first began in 1971.

Country comparison

	Qatar	Bahrain
Population	2,155,446	1,348,000
Area	11,586  km2 (4,467.6 sq mi)	780  km2 (304.5 sq mi )
Population Density	176/km2 (455/sq mi)	1,626.6/km2 (4,212.8/sq mi)
Capital	Doha	Manama
Largest City	Doha	Manama
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Official language	Arabic English (de facto)	Arabic English (de facto)
Main religions	67.7% Muslim 13.8% Christian 13.8% Hindu 3.1% Buddhist 1.6% other and none	70% Muslim 10% Hindu 9% Catholic 5% Protestant 2% Buddhist 1% Orthodox 2% None 1% other
Ethnic groups	15.4% Qatari 83.4% others	46% Bahraini 45.5% Asian 4.7% other Arabs 1.6% African 1% European 1.2% Other
GDP (PPP)	$214.575 billion, $96,993 per capita	$31.1 billion, $28,691 per capita
GDP (nominal)	$213.784 billion, $96,635 per capita	$26.108 billion, $23,555 per capita
Military expenditures	$816 million	$731 million

Territorial disputes

Starting in 1936, Qatar and Bahrain were involved in territorial disputes over the Hawar Islands, Fasht Al Azm, Fasht Dibal, al-Jaradah, and Zubarah. In 1996, Bahrain boycotted the GCC summit hosted in Qatar, claiming that the last summit held in Qatar in 1990 was used as a platform to reiterate their territorial claims to the other GCC states. They also cited the 1986 Qatari incursion in Fasht Dibal as a reason for not attending. In December 1996, two Qatari citizens, Salwa Fakhri and Fahad Al Baker, were arrested on charges of espionage in Bahrain. During the trial, it was purported that Qatar had been involved in a prior spying mission which was uncovered by Bahraini authorities in 1987. In January 1997, a member of Bahrain's ruling family, Nasser Al Khalifa, defected to Qatar in a highly publicized instance in which he flew a Bahraini military helicopter to the Qatari capital.

The disputes were resolved by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 16 March 2001, awarding both sides equal amounts of land, giving Bahrain the Hawar Islands (excluding the Janan Island), al-Jaradah, and Fasht Al Azm, with Qatar receiving Zubarah, Fasht Dibal, and the Janan Island.

Zubarah

From the 19th century onward, the two countries periodically disputed the ownership of Zubarah, a town on the north-west coast of Qatar. Tensions were heightened in 1939 after Qatar constructed a fort in the town; an act which was deemed illegal by Bahrain. A settlement was reached in 1944 during a meeting mediated by the Saudis, in which Qatar recognized Bahrain's customary rights, such as grazing, and visiting with no formalities necessary. However, this accord was broken shortly after, following the construction of another fort by Qatar.

In 1953, Bahrain reiterated its claims over Zubarah when it sent a party of students and teachers to Zubarah who proceeded to write 'Bahrain' on the walls of Zubarah Fort. Furthermore, the Bahrain Education Department published maps which alleged Bahraini sovereignty over the entire north-west coast of the peninsula. Qatar responded by stationing troops in the fort in 1954. The case was resolved in Qatar's favor by the ICJ in 2001.

Fasht Dibal

A dispute arose over Fasht Dibal in 1985 after Bahrain began constructing fortifications on the island. Qatar considered the construction to be a violation of an existing agreement made in 1978. In April 1986, Qatari troops arrived on the island via helicopter and declared it a 'restricted zone'. They seized several Bahraini officials and 29 construction workers hired by the Dutch contracting company Ballast Nedam. On 12 May 1986, following protests by the Netherlands and mediation by several GCC member states, Bahrain and Qatar reached a settlement, after which the foreign workers were released. Qatari troops evacuated the island on 15 June. The island was later awarded to Qatar in the aftermath of the 2001 ICJ case.

Nationality controversy

In 2014, Bahrain accused Qatar of offering certain Bahraini families Qatari citizenship in exchange for dropping their Bahraini citizenship. It was reported that Qatar was targeting Sunni citizens, a threat to Bahrain's demographics as the majority of the population is Shia while the ruling family is Sunni. Undersecretary of Nationality, Passport and Residence Affairs of Bahrain, Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, was quoted as saying,“We are confident that Qatar, a brotherly neighbour with Bahrain, will reconsider its position on this matter because naturalising Bahrainis negatively affects the security situation and the high national interests of Bahrain.” He also claimed that being a citizen of a country part of the GCC gave citizens of one country the right to work, own property and move between the other member countries thus changing nationalities wouldn't be necessary. Bahrain also claimed that it was a violation of an agreement of non-interference, signed on 17 April 2014, in the internal affairs of GCC member states. On 13 August 2014, Qatar pledged to stop offering GCC nationals Qatari citizenship during a meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Jeddah. Despite this, Bahrain's interior minister threatened action against Qatar and claimed that they were still engaging in these activities. It was claimed that Qatar had naturalised hundreds of Bahrainis and as a result, Bahrain imposed fines on any Bahraini that accepted citizenship. Qatar’s Director General of Public Security of Interior Ministry Major General called the quote "inaccurate" and argued that Qatar was only attempting to naturalise citizens of Qatari origin.

Ambassador controversy

On 5 March 2014, Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, recalled its ambassador from Qatar since Qatar failed to abide by an agreement signed by the GCC states to not support groups that posed a threat to fellow GCC members. When the ambassadors withdrew, the GCC was probably already on the verge of a crisis linked to the emergence of distinct political blocs with conflicting interests. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain were beginning to engage in a political struggle with Qatar, while Oman and Kuwait represent a non-aligned bloc within the GCC. On 16 November, it was reported that Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were returning their ambassadors to Qatar following an emergency meeting in Riyadh, stating that they had reached an understanding. In the interim, however, the Riyadh Consultative Summit had taken place, at which the Riyadh Supplementary Agreement was reached. Different parties variously refer to this as the Riyadh Document, the ‘Riyadh Agreement’ and the ‘Riyadh Supplementary Agreement’. The full contents of the document were not publicly disclosed.

Embassies

Bahrain has an embassy in Doha. Qatar also has an embassy in Manama.