Qatar welcomes Saudi Arabia's crown prince
This Wednesday, December 9, the Saudi crown prince arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in what is his first visit since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed an embargo on it in mid-2017, and as the third leg of his tour of neighboring Gulf countries.
The embargo began with the blockade of land, air and sea routes to Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and maintaining relations with Iran, a regional adversary of many other Gulf Arab countries, while Doha categorically denied having any relationship.
This dispute caused several tensions between the countries, which led to the breaking of diplomatic relations with Doha until their resolution in January 2021.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt were the first to lead these efforts to restore relations with Qatar, appointing new ambassadors in Doha.
However, the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and Bahrain's capital Manama have not followed in their footsteps.
Qatar has also reestablished trade and travel relations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, sidelining Bahrain.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received Prince Mohammed at Doha airport, before continuing their meeting, during which they reviewed relations between the two countries and new ways to enhance cooperation in various fields, as well as new regional and international developments, Saudi state media reported.
"Welcome to Qatar to my brother Mohammad," the Qatari sheikh conveyed.
Tamim bin Hamad described the prince's visit as a first step that will deepen the strong ties between the two countries, especially with the current conditions in the region.
"The relations of brotherhood and cooperation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are based on solid foundations of a common history and destiny," he conveyed on Twitter.
"Today, I discussed with my brother, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ways to enhance this cooperation between our two countries and also confirmed with him our common concern to support security and stability in our region," the Qatari emir added.
Following the arrival of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an official ceremony and a procession were held to celebrate his welcome at the Amiri Diwan, where he also held several meetings with senior Qatari officials.
The crown prince also visited the Consultative Assembly, where he was received by other officials.
In addition, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani chaired the sixth meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council.
Later, the Saudi crown prince expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the emir for the great welcome and generous hospitality, while conveying King Salman's greetings.
Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Doha from the United Arab Emirates on the third stop of his official tour of the Gulf countries.
The crown prince began in Oman after visiting the Dubai Expo 2020 in the UAE and is expected to next visit Bahrain and Kuwait, where he will also meet with the countries' leaders and senior officials in a bid to boost international relations between them.
The tour comes ahead of a Gulf summit later this month, coinciding with talks held between Iran and the other countries in the international community on the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Gulf Arab states have heavily criticized for failing to fully address the Islamic Republic of Iran's missile program.
