The State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been working to enhance and develop their bilateral relations in diverse fields. Following the historic Al Ula Summit of the GCC, the leadership of the two countries, as well as from other GCC member states, have eyed close coordination and achieving greater integration of the bloc. Qatar also enjoys close cooperation with Saudi Arabia, as it shares its only land border with the kingdom, and the two countries and their people have long enjoyed fraternal bonds of culture, language, religion and others.
The two countries have set up a Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council to achieve the objective of enhancing ties and ensure smooth flow of people and goods across the Abu Samra crossing. The coordination council and its sub-panels have held numerous meetings in Riyadh and Doha. This week, Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Saudi Foreign Minister H H Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud. The meeting touched on the fraternal relations between the two countries and ways of promoting and enhancing them, in addition to regional and international issues of common concern. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and the top Saudi envoy also chaired a meeting of the political committee of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council. The two sides discussed ways to deepen cooperation and take ties to broader horizons. A number of agreements are expected to be signed at the next meeting of the coordination council.
The authorities have taken steps to facilitate travel through the Abu Samra crossing for citizens and residents. Travellers can register their vehicles online for easy procedures at the border. The steps have particularly helped people travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage, as a large number of people from Qatar are making the trip to Makkah every month. Similarly, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 attracted a huge number of fans from Saudi Arabia, who said Qatar felt like their second home.
While Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries have come a long way in developing their economies at home and enhancing the regional cooperation, there still exists a huge potential for the GCC to benefit from further integration.
While the GCC countries allow visa-free travel within the bloc to their citizens, there have been reports of authorities considering a similar concession for the GCC residents, a move which is certain to increase regional travel, trade and tourism.
