19 October 2017•Update: 19 October 2017
By Medhat Abdul Majed, Ahmed al-Masri and Mohamed Abdul Ghaffar
DOHA
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad Al Sabah in Doha on Thursday to discuss the ongoing crisis in inter-Arab relations, according to Qatar’s official QNA press agency.
At the meeting, the two men discussed the unresolved political dispute between Qatar and a Saudi-led bloc of Arab states -- along with Kuwait’s ongoing efforts to mediate the crisis, the QNA reported.
Sheikh Sabah, who also serves as Kuwait’s first deputy prime minister, arrived in Doha on Thursday morning for an unannounced visit.
The QNA did not provide further details regarding the visit, such as its expected duration or the Kuwaiti FM’s itinerary.
Notably, Sheikh Sabah’s visit comes only three days after Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah visited Saudi capital Riyadh for talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Some observers believe the Kuwaiti FM’s surprise visit to Qatar is concerned mainly with an upcoming Gulf Summit scheduled for December in Kuwait City.
In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain all abruptly cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.
The four states also threatened Qatar with additional sanctions if it failed to meet a long list of demands, including one for the closure of Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Qatar, however, has refused to comply, vociferously denying the accusations against it and describing the Saudi-led embargo as a breach of its national sovereignty.
