In order to end a three and a half years of impasse and to restore ties between the Arabian Gulf neighbors, leaders from Saudi Arabia and its regional allies, in a major thawing of relations reached a breakthrough agreement with Qatar on Tuesday.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is the de facto leader of the kingdom mentioned in a statement they consider with great thanks and appreciation the efforts to heal the rift, but he did not elaborate any detail regarding the terms of the so-called Al-Ula Agreement.
The kingdom's de facto leader also commended the friendly endeavors of the United States of America and all the efforts of those who contributed to the agreement.
The leaders of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council or the GCC shared in a joint statement on Tuesday that the Al-Ula agreement aims to strengthen unity and cohesion of the members of the Council and to return of joint Gulf action to its normal course.
Despite not being a part of the GCC, Egypt also signed on the agreement as part of their acceptance.
According to NBC News, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived earlier on Tuesday in the Saudi desert city of Al-Ula and greeted with a hug by Mohammed bin Salman as it was broadcasted live on Saudi Television.
Later Sheikh Tamim shared that he participated in the Al-Ula summit to mend the rift.
He also tweeted that they have hope in a better future for the region and he thanked his brothers in Saudi for their hospitality and generosity in welcoming him.
He also added that he would like to thank the brotherly state of Kuwait for their esteemed efforts.
The said agreement were brokered by the United States, Kuwait, and others who wants peace among the Gulf neighbors, took place at an annual summit of Gulf Arab leaders alongside White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz, the special representative for international negotiations, in attendance, The Washington Post reported.
In 2017, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates cut their diplomatic trade and travel ties with the energy-rich country of Qatar as they imposed a blockade that separated businesses and families and shattered Gulf unity.
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Doha faced accusations of supporting extremist groups in the region which includes the Muslim Brotherhood from the quartet, but Doha denied it and pointed it to Qatar's close relations with the regional foe, Iran.
During the summit, Crown Prince Salman explicitly called out the destabilizing activities made by Iran in the Middle East, Deutsche Welle reported.
He also shared to his fellow leaders that they are in dire need to unite their efforts for the advancement of the region and confront the challenges that surround them especially the threats posed by the nuclear program of the Iranian regime including its ballistic missile program and its destructive sabotage projects.
Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted congratulations to Qatar for its brave resistance to pressure and extortion, shortly after the announcement of the agreement on Tuesday.
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