Qatar says emir receives Saudi invite to GCC summit
Arab Quartet has suspended all ties with Qatar for its support for terrorism
Doha: Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has invited Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit on December 9, despite an ongoing diplomatic crisis.
The invitation to Riyadh is significant as Qatar has been isolated by a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia since June 2017. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have suspended all relations with Qatar for Doha’s support for terrorism and its closeness to Iran.
Qatar News Agency said in a tweet that the emir had received “an invitation from the King of Saudi Arabia” for the meeting on December 9. The tweet did not say if the emir would travel to the Kingdom.
The bitter dispute has dragged on for 18 months and has shown little sign of being resolved.
Earlier this week, Qatar announced it was leaving Opec.
The Trump administration has said it needs the countries of the region to be united against Iran’s “malign behaviour” as it steps up pressure on the Islamic Republic.