Saudi Arabian prince invites regional leaders to Riyadh for closer ties

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited several regional leaders to Riyadh on Monday. He was joined by Jordan's King Abdullah II, Bahrain's Prince Salman bin Hamad and Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was also received in Riyadh by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers Khaled al-Issa. 

Mohammed bin Salman brought to a close a trip that seeks to encourage investment between the countries of the region, in a delicate economic context in the wake of the pandemic, as well as to boost trade relations and strengthen cultural ties with the region. During the meeting, they reviewed relations between the countries, aspects of joint cooperation in various fields and promising opportunities to further develop them in ways that serve the common interests of the countries. 

The visit was aimed at reviewing the state of bilateral relations between the countries and their great potential. In particular, they pointed to the economic sphere as one of the sectors in which the relationship is closest. They also highlighted investment and trade relations. 

Many issues were discussed during the meeting. One of the main points discussed was terrorism and international interference in the region. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia expressed his opposition to foreign interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. He has also expressed the need to stop provocative actions fuelling conflict and strife.

"His Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty the King of Jordan held a meeting in Riyadh, where the two are reviewing fraternal relations and aspects of joint cooperation in various fields, and pledging opportunities to develop it in a way that serves the common interests of the two brotherly countries and peoples," the Saudi Press Agency said in a report accompanied by photographs of the two.

Mohammed bin Salman also held a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart, Prince Salman bin Hamad. During the meeting, they reviewed the close relations between the two countries, and areas of Saudi-Bahraini cooperation in various aspects to achieve more bilateral gains for the two countries.

"It is a pleasure for us to be here in Saudi Arabia, on a visit that reflects once again the strength and depth of the historic relations and the important ongoing cooperation across a wide range of shared interests, benefiting our two countries," the Bahraini crown prince said of his visit in a statement issued by the Bahrain News Agency.

"My visit provides another opportunity to reaffirm the Kingdom of Bahrain's full support for Saudi Arabia and warmly commend the Kingdom's role and commitment to serving the causes of Arab and Islamic nations. Saudi Arabia is the cornerstone of Arab and regional security, and is at the heart of regional and global economic stability," he added.

Later, Mohammed bin Salman met with Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to sign Memoranda of Understanding. Muhyiddin Yassin arrived in Jeddah on Saturday for Umrah, where he was received by the Kingdom's Ambassador to Malaysia Mahmoud Qattan, Jeddah Governor Prince Mishael bin Abdul Aziz and other officials.

In an interview with Arab News, Abd Razak Abdul Wahab, Malaysia's ambassador, described the long-standing relationship between the Kingdom and Malaysia. "When we talk about bilateral relations, of course, they are very good and warm between the two countries, and have been for years," he said.

Ties between the two countries are entering a new era, with many joint initiatives on the horizon. Both nations hope to further strengthen initiatives through joint collaborative ventures that can further contribute to Vision 2030.

When Yassin was first elected to office, Saudi Arabia was the first country he chose to visit, the envoy said. These visits reinforce the unity between the nations where they began to develop growing joint ventures.

Abdul Wahab stressed the importance of honouring the two nations' Islamic relations when speaking about the prime minister's visit to Mecca and Medina to perform Umrah.

It is official, a new chapter in relations between the Gulf states has begun. Rumours of an end to the blockade that Qatar has been suffering for the past four years have become increasingly apparent, especially after the announcement of the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Qatar to open their airspace, land and sea borders. The news came on the heels of the 41st GCC summit. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha on Monday, two months after the reconciliation between the two Gulf neighbours was sealed.

It is the first announced visit by a Saudi official of this rank to Doha. According to the official Qatari news agency, the Saudi minister delivered a message from King Salman bin Abdelaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia to the emir of Qatar, in which he welcomed the "deep fraternal relations" between the two countries, before discussing bilateral relations with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed ben Abde al-Rahmane al-Thani.

He wished the Qatari emir "every success" as well as "progress and prosperity" for his country. Bin Farhan also held a meeting with the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohamed bin Abdelrahman al-Thani, in which the two "reviewed bilateral cooperation relations" and regional affairs.

According to the Saudi SPA news agency, the two officials also discussed measures to strengthen their ties "in all fields" and stressed the importance of "rejecting anything that threatens the security and stability of the area".

This is the first time that representatives of the two countries have met face-to-face in Doha since the signing of the Al-Ula agreement, in which Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt - known as the Arab quartet - made peace with Qatar after mediation by Kuwait and the United States.

Still, it is too early to say whether these countries will agree on conflicts such as Yemen or Libya, where the interests of the different countries are completely at odds. Or what will happen with Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation branded as terrorist by countries such as the United Arab Emirates. It is clear that this is a step forward in the relationship between the Gulf countries, but there are still many unknowns to be resolved.