Doha: H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Interior Minister will attend a Gulf summit in Makkah this weekend, one of the first high-level meetings with blockading nations since the blockade was imposed nearly two years ago.
A high-level source told Al Jazeera on Wednesday the face-to-face between H E Sheikh Abdullah and top officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other countries will take place at the meeting starting on Thursday.
The summit is expected to focus on regional security issues amid soaring tension between Iran and the United States and its Gulf allies.
Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had received a written message from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, inviting H H the Amir to attend the GCC Emergency Summit in Makkah Al Mukkramah, on May 30.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Lulwa Al Khater, tweeted: “The State of Qatar, which has never failed to ensure its active and positive participation in Arab, Islamic and international events, is once again prioritising the supreme interest of the region over inter-state differences”.
“Therefore the wise leadership of the State of Qatar has decided to participate in the three summits of Makkah with the participation of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani,” the tweet said.
“The difficult and sensitive situation in the region and accelerated escalation on a daily basis requires wisdom and responsible stance. Therefore, the participation of the State of Qatar and countries which enjoy rationality and sense of responsibility, is a national and humanitarian duty to achieve collective security and the supreme interest of the people in the region and to rationalise the discourses,” she added.
