Kuwait’s foreign minister, Ahmad Nasser Mohammed al Sabah, said on Monday on state television that “based on the recommendation of his highness, Sheikh Nawaf al Ahmad al Sabah, the emir of Kuwait God protect him, was agreed to open air and sea borders starting today (Monday) between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “
He also said that the final agreement was the result of a call brokered by the Emir of Kuwait with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The diplomatic advance comes a day before a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday, organized by Saudi Arabia.
Representatives from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (United Arab Emirates) will be present. The Emir of Qatar will also participate in the summit, its first visit to the country in three years.
In a statement, bin Salman said the summit would focus on regional “unity and cohesion”, according to the state Saudi Press Agency (SPA). “Through [the summit] the hopes of [Saudi] King and his brothers, the leaders of the (Gulf Cooperation Council), for unity and cohesion will be translated into facing the challenges of the region “, reported the SPA.
A senior US government official told CNN on Monday that President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, helped negotiate the reopening between the two countries and was also expected at Tuesday’s summit to attend a ceremony marking the achievement.
But Saudi Arabia and Qatar have recently worked to close the split. At a virtual diplomatic conference in December, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, said he was “optimistic” about the recovery of relations.
At the same conference, the Qatari Foreign Minister acknowledged that there were moves to finally “end the Gulf crisis”.