Pakistan welcomes Qatar and Saudi Arabia's decision to reopen borders

• Islamabad lauds emir of Kuwait for 'positive role'
• FO hopes development will enhance cooperation between GCC countries 
• Kuwait and US were trying to end a row in which S Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt had severed ties with Qatar in 2017
  

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan welcomed Qatar and Saudi Arabia's decision to reopen their land, air and sea borders to each other after almost four years. 

"Pakistan welcomes the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar to reopen the land, air and sea borders between the two countries," said the Foreign Office (FO) in a statement released on Tuesday.   

Pakistan also appreciated the "other steps being taken" by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to diffuse tensions in the region. It said that the steps will lead to the "resolution of the outstanding issues between the countries of the organisation persisting for almost four years".

Islamabad also lauded the emir of Kuwait for the "positive role" he played towards the "resolution of the differences between the countries of the GCC". 

Read more: Saudi Arabia invites Qatar’s emir to attend Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit

"His [emir of Kuwait] persistent and sincere efforts, and cooperation of the GCC countries, led to this important and amicable outcome," said the FO. It also hoped that the GCC summit being held today in Al-Ula will "further build on these encouraging developments and lead to enhanced confidence and cooperation" among the GCC countries.

"Pakistan continues to accord high importance to its relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as its bilateral relations with all GCC countries," said the FO.

Saudi Arabia reopens land border with Qatar

In a breakthrough development on Tuesday Saudi Arabia opened its land borders with Qatar to resolve the political dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott on Qatar.

The announcement came on the eve of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit and could pave the way towards ending a three-year-old feud, read the news report published in Al-Jazeera.

According to Kuwait's foreign minister, after the resumption of land border activities, Saudi Arabia is set to reopen its airspace and sea border as well.

Read more: Riyadh says resolution marking end of row with Qatar 'within reach'

Kuwait and the United States were trying to end the row in which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and non-Gulf state Egypt severed diplomatic, trade, and travel ties with Qatar in mid-2017, shattering regional unity which Washington says hinders efforts to contain Iran.

Qatar has repeatedly denied the allegations and said there was “no legitimate justification” for the severance of relations.