Saudi Arabia, Qatar to reopen land, air, sea borders: Kuwaiti FM

KUWAIT CITY - Saudi Arabia and Qatar will reopen land, air and sea borders starting from Monday evening, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said Monday.

"The Kuwaiti emir made a phone call with the Qatari emir and Saudi Arabia's crown prince, who both confirmed their intention to start a new beginning in their relations," the minister said in a televised address.

"Based on a suggestion from the Kuwaiti emir, the two countries have agreed to reopen the land, air, and sea borders between the two countries as of today's evening," he added.

"The Kuwaiti emir expressed his confidence in the keenness of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Egypt to end the Gulf crisis and address all relevant matters," the minister said.

The Kuwaiti emir will attend the 41st Gulf summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, according to Kuwait News Agency.

The emir expressed on Jan 1 his optimism for the summit, saying it will bring together leaders of the GCC countries and strengthen their brotherhood and solidarity against the challenges in the region.

An Arab quartet of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 and has since imposed an embargo on the Gulf state, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has repeatedly denied all the charges.