Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah said on Monday that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are set to reopen their air, land, and sea borders.
“The Kuwaiti emir made a phone call with the Qatari emir and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, who both confirmed their intention to start a new beginning in their relations,” The Muslim Voice quoted the Minister as saying in a televised address on Monday evening.
The move, which will come into force on Monday evening, is part of a deal agreed by the two countries, the Kuwaiti minister said.
The announcement comes on the eve of the Gulf summit to be held in AlUla.
According to the Kuwaiti foreign minister, the deal, dubbed as the Al-Ula declaration, would be signed on Tuesday on the sidelines of the summit, turning a new leaf in intra-Gulf relations.
“The Kuwaiti Emir expressed his confidence in the keenness of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Egypt to end the Gulf crisis and address all relevant matters,” Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Al-Sabah added.
Saudi Arabia has sent a formal invitation to Qatar’s Emir, Tamim Al-Thani, to attend the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.
The meeting will take place in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 5, 2021 in Al-Ula. Al-Thani received his invitation during a meeting with the GCC’s Secretary-General Nayf Al-Hajraf, the report added.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will lead his country’s delegation to the 41st GCC summit on Tuesday, local media reported.
The Qatari emir will be attending the summit for the first time since the Gulf crisis began in 2017.
An Arab quartet of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 and has since imposed an embargo on the Gulf state, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has repeatedly denied all the charges.
