Saturday, 09 January 2021_Saudi Arabia, in a U-Turn on its diplomatic course, has decided to lift its land, air and sea blockade on Qatar following more than three years of standoff between the two countries.
The decision was announced at a Persian Gulf Cooperation Council Summit held in the Saudi city of Al-Ula. Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman said the Kingdom signed a rapprochement agreement with Qatar, along with Oman and Kuwait.
The Prince, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, hailed the agreement, saying the attending nations reaffirmed their Arab and Islamic solidarity and stability. He also thanked the United States and Kuwait for their mediation.
The deal however, seems to be pursuing nothing but an anti-Iran policy by Riyadh.
During the summit, MBS repeated the Kingdom’s anti-Tehran rhetoric, saying there was a desperate need to unite their efforts to what he called develop the West Asian region and confront challenges, especially those posed by Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The Saudi-Qatari rapprochement comes more than three years after Riyadh, along with its regional hawks the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all their diplomatic and economic ties with Doha. They sealed their borders and expelled Qatari citizens from their countries.