Saudi Arabia's MBS embarks on tour of Gulf states
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Qatar for the first time since Saudi Arabia ended a yearslong blockade on its Gulf neighbor.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has kicked off a tour of Gulf Arab states for talks focused on regional cooperation and the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear activities.
The country’s de facto ruler arrived Monday in Oman, where he is expected to meet with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, the Oman News Agency reported. From there, the crown prince will visit the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, according to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya.
Bin Salman's regional tour marks his first since the pandemic and since the Saudi-led bloc eased their yearslong diplomatic and economic isolation of Doha in January. Saudi Arabia led its allies Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt in severing ties with gas-rich Qatar in June 2017, accusing their neighbor of funding terrorism and growing too close to Iran and Turkey.
The Saudi royal’s Gulf tour comes ahead of the annual six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which will reportedly be held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Dec. 14.
