Gulf summit opens in Saudi capital

RIYADH (AA) – The 40th summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council opened in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday.

Only three leaders of the six-member bloc are attending the one-day summit, while Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has skipped the meeting and assigned his Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani to attend.

Tuesday's summit had been scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but the venue was changed to Riyadh.

Qatar has been facing a Saudi-led blockade since 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade relations with Doha.

The four countries accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups, an accusation vehemently denied by Doha.

In recent weeks, however, reports suggested a potential breakthrough in efforts aimed at resolving the crisis between Qatar and its neighbors.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara