Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser Mohammed al Sabah said on state television on Monday that “on the recommendation of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf al Ahmad al Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait God protect him, an agreement has been reached on air and maritime borders starting today (Monday) between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. ‘
He also said the final agreement was the result of a call mediated by the Kuwaiti Emir with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The diplomatic breakthrough comes one day before a meeting of the Golf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday, hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Representatives from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will attend the event. The Qatari Emir will also attend the summit, his first visit to the country in three years.
Bin Salman said in a statement that the summit would focus on local “unity and cohesion”, according to the state-run Saudi press agency (SPA). “By [the summit] the hope of the [Saudi] “King and his brothers, the leaders of the (Gulf Cooperation Council), for unity and cohesion will be translated into the challenges of the region,” SPA reported.
A senior U.S. administration official told CNN on Monday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, had helped negotiate the reopening between the two countries and that a ceremony was also expected at Tuesday’s summit. attend indicating the performance.
But Saudi Arabia and Qatar have recently worked to close the rift. At a virtual diplomatic conference in December, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said he was “optimistic” about restoring relations.
At the same conference, the Foreign Minister in Qatar acknowledged that there were movements to finally put an end to the Gulf crisis.