‘Significant progress’ made to resolving Gulf crisis: Saudi FM Prince Faisal

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday that there has been “significant progress” in resolving the Gulf crisis that began in 2017.

The crisis erupted when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut all diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar in June 2017. But now, it seems the ice is thawing in the three-year-old rift.

“We have seen significant progress in the last few weeks, which means we are now hopeful we can reach a final conclusion very soon that will be satisfactory to all parties,” Prince Faisal said, at speaking at the International Institute for Security Studies Manama Conference on Saturday.

The Arab Quartet, comprised of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, cut ties with Qatar, citing concerns that it supported terrorist groups and was friendly with regional foe Iran.

Qatar’s neighbors demanded that the nation shut down media network Al Jazeera, cut diplomatic ties with Iran, immediately halt the establishment of a Turkish military base, and end any military cooperation with the NATO member.

“I am hopeful that we’ll be able to announce the details soon,” Prince Faisal said at the conference.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the GCC said that they would be open to restoring diplomatic relations with Qatar, but only when Doha agrees to meet the demands of the Arab Quartet.