The 41st session of the GCC Summit in Al Ula in Saudi Arabia saw the blockade imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt being lifted completely and steps towards the full resumption of diplomatic relations, the Saudi foreign minister has said.

“What happened today at the summit was a complete collapse of the dispute with Qatar and a full return to diplomatic relations,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has said.

At the Summit, HH the Amir and other leaders and delegation heads of the Gulf Cooperation Council signed a declaration, dubbed the Al-Ula Agreement, to end the blockade.

“Countries committed themselves to ending all issues, especially combating terrorism, through bilateral meetings,” GCC Secretary General Dr Nayef Mubarak Al Hajraf was quoted as saying by media.

According to report, the declaration also called for strengthening regional cooperation by unifying political positions and developing strategic partnerships

It also affirmed deep-rooted relations and called for “strengthening ties and respecting the principles of good neighbourliness”.