Egypt and Qatar have agreed to resume diplomatic relations, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Wednesday, making Cairo the first to officially do so under an Arab deal to end a dispute with Doha, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt agreed earlier this month to restore diplomatic, trade and travel ties severed in 2017.

"The Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Qatar exchanged, today, January 20, 2021, two official memoranda, in virtue of which the two countries agreed to resume diplomatic relations," an Egyptian foreign ministry statement said.

There was no immediate comment from Qatari officials.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the kingdom expects to reopen its embassy in Qatar within days, and full diplomatic relations between the two would resume.

All four countries have reopened their airspace to Qatar, and flights have resumed between Doha and cities in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.