Saudi, Qatari leaders hug ahead of Gulf summit

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warmly hugged Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani upon arrival in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to attend the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.

A video clip aired by the official Saudi Press Agency showed bin Salman warmly greeting the Qatari leader as Tamim arrived in Al-Ula city in northwestern Saudi Arabia for the GCC summit.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to reopen airspace and sea and land border, in a move signaling an end to the years-long Gulf dispute between Doha and its neighbors.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar on accusations of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs.

Doha has vehemently denied the allegations, accusing its neighbors of attacking its sovereignty.

*Ibrahim Mukhtar contributed to this report from Ankara