Saudi reopens its land and sea borders with Qatar

Saudi and Qatar reached an agreement to reopen air space and land and sea borders between the two countries. According to the statement on state TV Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Ahmad Al Sabah said the desire for unity and reunification was emphasised during a phone call between Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Based on a proposal by Sheikh Nawaf, it was agreed that the borders between Saudi Arabia and Qatar would be reopened.

Nayef Al Hajraf, Secretary General of the GCC, said the agreement to reopen borders between Saudi and Qatar was “a reflection of sincere efforts being made to ensure the success of tomorrow’s summit across all areas, despite the exceptional circumstances created by the pandemic”. “Today’s announcement once again proves that the GCC embodies a deep-rooted partnership that consistently overcomes challenges while advancing the interests of the GCC people thanks to the leadership and wisdom of its leaders,” Al Hajraf said.

The UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, said the summit would be an historic event through which Gulf cohesion would be restored. “We are keen to ensure that the security, stability and prosperity of our countries and peoples are the first priority,” Dr Gargash said. “We have more work [to do] and we are [going] in the right direction.”