Qatari emir to skip Gulf summit in Saudi Arabia

Qatar will only send state ministers to represent Doha in the summit

1 min read

09 December, 2018

The emir of Qatar to skip GCC summit in Riyadh [Getty]

The emir of Qatar emir will skip the Gulf summit to be held in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, a Qatari official told Anadolu Agency on Saturday.

The official, who asked not to be named, said that Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani will not attend the 39th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Instead, Qatar will send state ministers to represent Doha in the summit.

Qatar's emir received last week a written invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman to attend the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit being held in Riyadh on 9 December, the Qatar News Agency had reported.

The invitation came amid signs that a Saudi-led blockade of Qatar is waning, with Doha having been able to weather sanctions enforced by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain since June 2017.

The Saudi-led bloc accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and fostering close ties with Iran - charges that Doha has strongly denied.

At last year’s GCC summit - held in Kuwait, but planned for Qatar - Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain sent ministers or deputy prime ministers, rather than heads of state.