The King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has recently ordered that the borders between Saudi and Qatar be reopened. Other borders and airport has also been opened. This is to allow Qataris to attend the Hajj pilgrimage.
Qatar welcomed this development, but with reservations. Despite this, Qataris have arrived in Saudi Arabia as of Thursday for their pilgrimage.
Borders Now Open for Hajj Pilgrims
A recent development in the siege of Qatar, is the reopening of the land border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The King of Saudi has opened the borders to allow entry of Qataris who want to attend the hajj pilgrimage. They need not present the electronic permission.
King Salman will shoulder the expenses of the Qatari pilgrims, according to the Saudi Press Agency. This also includes sending of private jets to Doha airport to bring them to Saudi.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani welcomed this news in a joint press conference with the Swedish foreign minister, “Regardless of the manner in which Qataris were banned from the pilgrimage, which was politicized, the government of Qatar welcomes the decision and will respond positively.”
However, the country is still calling for the removal of the blockade, as well as not to politicise the hajj. HE the Foreign Minister also said that the Qatari Ministry of Endowment will communicate with its Saudi counterpart to discuss the safety of the Qatari pilgrims. Otherwise, the Saudi authority will be held responsible for their safety.