Joint Qatar-Saudi coordination council held in Jeddah

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - The 5th joint Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council convened in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Tuesday.

According to Qatar’s official news agency, the meeting was co-chaired by by Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.

“The council reviewed the fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries and means of boosting relations, especially in the political, security, economic and investment fields,” the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

According to QNA, council members also discussed the latest developments in the region and exchanged views on how to restore stability to the crisis-plagued Middle East.

The meeting also saw the two sides sign landmark agreements in the fields of education and air transport.

In a final statement, the council asserted that the ongoing fight against terrorism constituted “a shared international responsibility that requires concerted international efforts on the security, intellectual, financial, media and military levels”.

Meeting participants also agreed to hold the council’s next meeting in Qatari capital Doha at some point next year.

The coordination council meeting was the first of its kind since Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz took the throne in 2015 and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani assumed power in 2013.

On Monday, Sheikh Tamim paid an hours-long visit to Saudi Arabia, where he held closed-door talks with King Salman.