Gulf summit kicks off in Saudi Arabia

By Ali Abo Rezeg

ANKARA (AA) - The 41st Gulf Cooperation Council summit kicked off Tuesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh amid historical reconciliation in the Gulf.

The summit, attended by Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, came a day after a Saudi decision to reopen air, land, and sea borders with Qatar following a three-year feud.

Hugging Al Thani at the reception, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman thanked Kuwait and the US for efforts to achieve the long-awaited "reconciliation."

A video clip aired by the official Saudi Press Agency showed the prince warmly greeting the Qatari leader as he arrived in the northwestern Saudi city of Al-Ula for the summit.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to reopen their airspace, sea and land borders, in a move signaling an end to the years-long Gulf dispute between Doha and its neighbors.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs.

Doha vehemently denied the allegations, accusing its neighbors of attacking its sovereignty.