Amid thaw in ties Saudi crown prince arrives in Qatar for first time

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Doha on Wednesday as part of a Gulf tour, marking his first visit to the country after the two sides severed ties four years ago.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut all links with Qatar in June 2017, alleging it backed radical Islamist groups and was too close to Riyadh's rival Tehran -- allegations Doha denied.

But relations were fully restored in January after a landmark summit in the Saudi desert city of Al-Ula.

Crown Prince Mohammed was greeted by the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with whom he will hold talks, said the official Saudi Press Agency.

His tour comes while a flurry of diplomacy occurs to resolve regional disputes, especially with Iran and Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Qatar this week for two days of talks.

Ankara and Doha had become economic and political partners in recent times, with Erdogan's government notably backing Doha during the Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.

Turkey -- which is reeling from a fresh economic crisis and is searching for foreign investment and trade -- has sought to rebuild relations with former rivals in the Gulf, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

There have also been signs this year of a thaw between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have held several rounds of talks since April aimed at improving ties.

Simmering tensions between Ankara and Riyadh escalated after the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

SOURCE: AFP