Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (center-right) welcomes Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (center-left) ahead of the opening of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the city of al-Ula, Jan. 5, 2021.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar formally restored diplomatic relations on Tuesday (Jan. 5). This comes more than three years after Riyadh (Riyadh) and several Arab countries cut diplomatic ties with Doha (Doha).
This is the latest development in the Middle East peace process led by the Trump (Trump) administration. A senior U.S. official said Monday that Qatar has made a breakthrough in its three-year-old dispute with Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states, and that an agreement to end the dispute between the two sides will be signed Tuesday at the annual Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Saudi Arabia.
CNBC reported that Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to attend the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the country’s ancient city of Ula (al-Ula) . This is the first time he has set foot in Saudi Arabia since the conflict between the two sides erupted in 2017.
Amir refers to the sheikh (or prince, governor) of certain Muslim countries and the honorific title for descendants of Muhammad.
Kuwait is the mediator of relations between the two sides. Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah told Kuwaiti television ahead of Tuesday’s summit that Saudi Arabia will reopen its airspace and sea and land borders to Qatar from Monday as part of the deal.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a diplomatic, trade and travel embargo on Qatar since mid-2017. They accuse the country of supporting terrorism and of being too close to Iran. But Qatar denies it.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who holds the real power in Saudi Arabia, was quoted by Saudi state-owned media SPA as saying the annual gathering of Gulf leaders would unite the ranks of Gulf states “to address the challenges facing the region.”
Reuters reports that this is the latest development in the Middle East peace process sought by Washington. Progress already made by the Trump administration in that plan includes the creation of a united front between Israel and the Arab states to counter the threat from Iran.
All of the countries that have reached peace agreements in the process are U.S. allies. Among them, Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the region; Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet; and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also have U.S. military locations.
While Saudi Arabia has made clear its intention to lift the blockade on the cartel, the other three countries did not immediately unblock it. However, a Trump administration official said “we expect” they will join in lifting the embargo. Under the newly signed agreement, Qatar will suspend litigation related to the blockade, the official said.
The official also said Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser, was assigned by President Trump to handle the dispute. Kushner was busy until early Monday morning trying to help reach the deal.
Kushner, U.S. Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and State Department special adviser Brian Hoo all traveled to the city of Ula for the signing ceremony, U.S. officials said.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted on the eve of the summit that Tuesday’s summit would restore unity in the Gulf and that “there is more work ahead and we are moving in the right direction.”
In a statement Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it welcomed the Saudi move and called it an important step toward resolving the dispute.
“We hope that this dispute will reach a comprehensive and lasting solution based on mutual respect for national sovereignty and that other sanctions against the Qatari people will be lifted as soon as possible.” The statement also said Turkey supports all efforts to bring stability to the Gulf region.
Saudi Arabian media Al-Arabiya reported Tuesday that Egypt has agreed to reopen its airspace to Qatar.
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