Saudi Arabia and Qatar to establish co-ordination council

Agreement signed in Neom aims to expand co-operation between the Gulf neighbours

Saudi Minister of State and Acting Foreign Minister Musaed Al Aiban and Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Muhammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani sign the protocol

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are to set up a co-ordination council to strengthen bilateral ties after the two countries normalised relations this year.

Musaed Al Aiban, the Saudi Minister of State and Acting Foreign Minister, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed an amended protocol for its establishment at a meeting in the Saudi city of Neom on Wednesday.

The Saudi-Qatari Co-ordination Council will be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad.

It represents a comprehensive framework for strengthening bilateral relations and broadening co-operation in achieving the countries' development goals, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Saudi Crown Prince also met Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed in Neom. They discussed regional developments and future co-operation between the two countries in various fields, state media said.

Qatar appointed an ambassador to Riyadh earlier this month after Saudi Arabia reinstated its envoy to Doha. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain restored ties with Qatar at the 41st Gulf Co-operation Council Summit in Al Ula in January after a rift lasting more than three years.

Qatar's Emir sent a letter to Crown Prince Mohammed "pertaining to the close fraternal relations between the two countries and ways to enhance and develop them", as well as important regional and international developments, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.