Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it is reopening its border with Qatar to allow Qataris to attend the hajj amid a monthslong rift between the neighbouring countries that led to both sides trading accusations of politicising the ritual.
The decision came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a surprise meeting with a Qatari royal family member whose branch of the family was ousted in a palace coup in 1972. Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he welcomed the Saudi decision, but that the measures must also include a full lifting of the blockade.
He was responding to questions at a press conference in Sweden on Thursday. The official Saudi Press Agency reported that Qatari pilgrims will be allowed to enter the kingdom by land and that pilgrims would then be flown onward from two Saudi airports in Dammam and al-Ahsa at the king's expense.
The king also ordered that aircraft from the country's flagship carrier be dispatched to Qatar's capital, Doha, to fly Qatari pilgrims to the Red Sea city of Jiddah nearest to Mecca, and to host them at his expense for the hajj.
Saudi state TV said already 100 Qataris had arrived at the border crossing today.
The decision came after Prince Mohammed met with Qatari royal family member Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani on late Wednesday at a palace in Jiddah. Images broadcast on Saudi media showed the two men seated and smiling for cameras. Sheikh Abdullah was quoted as telling the Saudi prince that the ties between the two countries "are brotherly relations rooted in history."
Saudi Arabia's crown prince responded in kind, emphasising the historical ties between the two royal families, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
It was not clear, however, in what capacity Sheikh Abdullah was representing the Qatari government during the meeting. His grandfather, father and brother were rulers of Qatar until a palace coup ousted his branch of the royal family in 1972.
The meeting in Jiddah was the first by a Qatari to Saudi Arabia since a tense political standoff erupted 10 weeks ago when the kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar.
The quartet also halted direct flights, expelled Qatari residents and ordered their citizens in Qatar to leave.