Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), December 11: A Saudi newspaper has hailed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud's visit to Qatar as "a new milestone in the resetting of relations" between the two countries.
"The crown prince's arrival in Doha is seen as a new milestone in the resetting of relations and a recognition that ties of blood, common history, and shared policy concerns are more durable than the disagreements that led to the breakdown in relations in mid-2017," the Arab News, an English language daily in Saudi Arabia, reported on Thursday.
The comment come after the crown prince's visit to Doha on Wednesday, his first visit since Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 and placed an embargo on the Gulf state, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has repeatedly denied all the charges.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar improved since the AlUla Declaration was signed at the Saudi-hosted 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in January.
The Saudi crown prince was welcomed on arrival by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the two leaders held meetings afterward, during which they discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and affirmed the two sides' shared desire to support security and stability in the region, according to a report carried by Al Jazeera, a Qatari government-funded international Arabic news channel based in Doha.
Qatar is Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud's third destination on a tour of Gulf Arab states ahead of a Gulf summit later this month. The meeting will be the first since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the UAE agreed to terminate their diplomatic row with Qatar over the latter's foreign policy.
Before landing in Qatar, the crown prince visited Oman and the UAE. His Gulf tour also include destinations of Bahrain and Kuwait.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud's visit coincides with talks between Iran and world powers, which aim at reviving the nuclear deal reached in 2015.
Source: Xinhua