Saudi crown prince talks 'regional security' with Qatar's emir during visit
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional security with Qatar during his first visit to Doha after spearheading a three-year blockade against the emirate.
The crown prince arrived on Wednesday as part of a tour of the Gulf following visits to Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In January, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt ended a blockade on Qatar over its alleged support for terrorist groups in the region and its close ties to Iran. Doha has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The Qatar News Agency on Thursday said Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani shared views with Saudi Arabia on "everything that would protect stability and security in the region".
He "stressed that this important visit will deepen the strong and historical ties, especially in light of the circumstances the region is going through."
Mohammed bin Salman also visited Qatar's Lusail Stadium with the emir, the venue for the final of next year's football World Cup.
The Saudi crown prince left Qatar for Bahrain on Thursday, ahead of a trip to Kuwait the next day. The six Gulf Arab states will hold a summit in Riyadh next week.
The prince's Gulf tour had been overshadowed by France's arrest of a man suspected of being involved in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The man, thought to be Khaled Aedh al-Otaibi, was released a day later.
Saudi Arabia had called for the suspect's release, maintaining that France had detained the wrong man, whose name it said was very common in the kingdom.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
