On Monday, ahead of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit this week, Kuwait announced that Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders and airspace to Qatar, in a major step towards ending a three-year-long diplomatic rift between the Saudi-led regional alliance and Doha.
According to Kuwait’s foreign minister, Ahmad Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, “Based on (Kuwait’s ruler Emir) Sheikh Nawaf’s proposal, it was agreed to open the airspace and land and sea borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar, starting from this evening (Monday).” He further added, “The discussions emphasised that everyone was keen on reunification and would gather in Al-Ula (for the GCC summit) to sign a statement that promises to usher in a bright page of brotherly relations.”
Along with Kuwait, who has been mediating the crisis since 2017, White House senior advisor Jared Kushner has also been credited for the breakthrough deal. Kushner, joined by United States’ (US) Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and special State Department adviser, Brian Hook helped negotiate the deal virtually.
If the agreement holds, it will be the latest addition to a string of diplomatic victories achieved by Kushner’s team, which has also led normalisation deals between Israel and multiple Arab nations. The three American officials attended the GCC meet in Al-Ula on Tuesday.
The development comes after the foreign ministers of the Gulf Arab states—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar—held a virtual conference last Sunday, to discuss ways to resolve the diplomatic dispute that has undermined regional stability and hurt US efforts to build a strong united front against Iran.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt, cut ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting radical Islamist groups in the region and having warm relations with Iran. Consequently, the four GCC members imposed a land, sea, and air blockade on Qatar. The travel ban was further supported by Jordan, Maldives, Malaysia, Yemen, and the Tobruk-based government in Libya.
However, in recent months there has been a shift in Riyadh’s policy towards Qatar. With Joe Biden winning the 2020 United States election, Saudi Arabia may be taking interest in mending its relationship with Qatar in the hopes that Biden will, in turn, soften his foreign policy approach towards the Kingdom.
The Gulf Cooperation Council summit will be “inclusive,” leading the states toward “reunification and solidarity in facing the challenges of our region,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was quoted as saying in remarks carried by the Saudi state-run news agency.
Saudi Arabia Opens Its Border to Qatar After Three Year Ban
Kuwait’s foreign minister announced Monday that Saudi Arabia will lift the ban on Qatar ahead of the upcoming GCC meet in Al-Ula.
January 6, 2021
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz (L), and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (R) SOURCE: INDEPENDENT