DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait’s foreign ministry on Monday announced that Saudi Arabia will lift a years-long embargo on Qatar, opening its air and land borders in the first steps toward ending the Gulf crisis.
The state-run Kuwait News Agency reported the announcement, saying that Saudi Arabia would open its airspace, land and sea borders starting Monday evening.
Kuwait has been mediating between Qatar and four Arab states that launched an embargo in mid-2017 over Qatar’s support for Islamist groups in the region and its warm ties with Iran.
The announcement comes on the eve of a summit of Gulf Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that will be chaired by Saudi King Salman. Qatar’s ruler is now expected to attend the summit for the first time since the embargo.
The decision by the close U.S. allies comes in the final days of the Trump administration’s time in office, and just ahead of the term of incoming President-elect Joe Biden.
