Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered the reopening of the border with Qatar to hajj pilgrims, AFP reported Thursday (August 17th), despite a major diplomatic crisis roiling the region.
The Salwa border crossing has been closed since June 5th when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar.
The announcement to reopen the frontier for Qatari pilgrims came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received an envoy from Doha, the official Saudi Press Agency said, in the first public high-level encounter between the nations since the crisis erupted.
King Salman has allowed "the entry of Qatari pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Salwa border crossing to perform hajj, and to allow all Qatari nationals who wish to enter for hajj without electronic permits", a statement on state-run SPA agency said.
He also ordered that private jets belonging to Saudi airlines be sent to Doha airport "to bring all Qatari pilgrims at his expense".
The Qatari foreign minister on Thursday welcomed the kingdom's decision, AFP reported.
