Gulf countries are projecting optimism about next summit despite Doha’s lukewarm attitude

Gulf countries are projecting optimism about next summit despite Doha’s lukewarm attitude

KUWAIT--The optimistic statements issued by more than one Gulf official are spreading a positive atmosphere regarding the forty-first Gulf summit, which Saudi Arabia is scheduled to host in early January.

Much of the talk about this summit was dominated by the topic of ending Qatar's crisis with the Arab quartet.

The row started in June 2017  after accusations were levelled at Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt for maintaining ties to extremist groups and pursuing policies on Turkey and Iran that run counter to the security of the region and threaten the stability of its states and peoples.

On Monday, Nayef al-Hajraf, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, expressed his optimism that the upcoming Gulf summit would contribute to further “supporting and strengthening the system of the Gulf Cooperation Council and moving forward with it,” stressing the keenness of the Gulf leaders on holding the summit despite the exceptional circumstances.

Commenting on the online summit preparatory meeting held by the GCC foreign affairs ministers and coordinated by Bahrain, Bahraini Foreign Affairs Minister Abdul Latif al-Zayani made an indirect reference to the efforts led by Saudi Arabia to reconcile Qatar with the boycotting countries, saying that Manama has “full confidence in the