Kuwait: Saudi Arabia has opened its land border with Qatar, and according to Kuwait’s foreign minister. Besides, the country is set to reopen its airspace and sea border.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry on Monday announced that Saudi Arabia will open its air and land borders with Qatar in the first steps toward ending a diplomatic crisis that has deeply divided regional US allies since 2017.
The breakthrough announcement on Monday came on the eve of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit and could pave the way towards resolving a political dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott on Qatar.
In his statement, Kuwait’s foreign minister said that the Kuwaiti emir had spoken with Qatar’s emir and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.
The conversations “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”.
Qatar’s only land border has been mostly closed since mid-2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain launched a blockade against the tiny Gulf state, accusing it of supporting Islamist groups in the region and of having warm ties with Iran.
Qatar has repeatedly denied the allegations and said there was “no legitimate justification” for the severance of relations.
