As part of his efforts to strengthen the kingdom's leadership in the region, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, made various visits to the Gulf countries and signed more co-operation deals with the neighbors.
The Crown Prince, 36-years-old, left Riyadh in an official tour to five brotherly GCC countries of Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait respectively.
The Royal Court released a statement to announce the visits that came upon the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
"Upon the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and based on his keenness to communicate with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and strengthen the brotherly ties for the service and interest of the peoples of the GCC countries, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, left today, Monday 2/5/1443H" read a statement by the Royal Court.
"Corresponding to 6/12/2021, to pay official visits to the GCC countries, during which he will meet with the leaders of the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in all fields, as well as issues of common interest." The statement added.
The visit comes to build on talks that Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq held with Saudi King Salman bin AbdulAziz during his visit to Saudi Arabia in July, the agency added, quoting a royal court statement.
During Prince Muhammad's visit, issues of mutual interest will be discussed to promote interests of Saudi Arabia and Oman and "fulfill aspirations and hopes" of their people, ONA said.
The visit reflects "time-honored and historical" ties between the two countries.
Last July, Sultan Haitham visited Saudi Arabia, making his first foreign trip since he assumed power in January last year, succeeding Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed, who had died at age of 79.
The Crown Prince sent a cable of thanks to Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of the Sultanate of Oman, on the occasion of HRH the Crown Prince's departure from the Sultanate of Oman after an official visit.
'Your Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of the Sultanate of Oman,
Peace be upon you,
As I leave your brotherly country, I express my deepest gratitude and appreciation of Your Majesty for the warm reception and generous hospitality accorded to me and the accompanying delegation.
Your Majesty, the discussions we had, affirmed the strength of the brotherly relations between our two countries, and the common desire to deepen the cooperation between them in all fields, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Your Majesty, which aims to achieve the interests of the two brotherly countries and peoples and enhance the security and stability of the region. I pray to Allah Almighty to grant Your Majesty good health and happiness, and the brotherly Omani people security, stability and prosperity'.
Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, emir of the State of Qatar, received the Crown prince at the Amiri Diwan, where an official reception was held for him
The Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, held its sixth meeting, where the two sides reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and means to develop them in all fields.
His visit to Doha is the third of his Gulf tour after he concluded his second stop in the United Arab Emirates after meeting with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai on Wednesday.
Prince Muhammad bin Salman will also visit Bahrain, and Kuwait. The tour comes ahead of the annual GCC summit, which will be held in Riyadh in mid-December.
They also chaired the sixth meeting of the Qatari-Saudi Joint Coordination Council at the Amiri Diwan and discussed bilateral relations and regional and international developments.
During the meeting, the Saudi Crown Prince relayed the greetings of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Emir Sheikh Tamim.
The Council reviewed the strong brotherly bilateral relations and the ways to support and develop them in various fields to broader horizons, to meet the aspirations of the leadership of the two countries and serve the interests of their peoples, especially in the political, security, economic, investment fields, as well as other fields.
The Council also dealt with several regional and international issues of joint interest, particularly the latest developments in the region, in addition to exchanging views on everything that would protect stability and security in the region.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emir Sheikh Tamim signed the minutes of the sixth meeting of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council.
"The relations of brotherhood and cooperation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are based on solid foundations of a common history and destiny," said the Emir in a tweet.
"Today, I discussed with my brother, Prince Mohammad bin Salman, ways to enhance this cooperation between our two countries (and) I also affirmed with him our common concern to support security and stability in our region and the region," Sheikh Tamim said, adding: "Welcome my brother Mohammad to Qatar."
Moreover, Saudi and Qatari companies signed agreements in the hospitality and tourism sectors at the Saudi-Qatari Business Forum in Doha on Wednesday
The forum was organized by the Federation of Saudi Chambers and Qatar Chamber, with participation from private and public bodies and businesspeople.
Upon the arrival of the Crown Prince at Sakhir Air Base Airport, HRH the Crown Prince was received by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Crown Prince was also received by Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain; and princes and ministers of the Bahraini government.
The Crown Prince and the King of Bahrain headed in an official procession to Sakhir Palace, where a group of Bahrainis lined the road, raising the flags of the two kingdoms and chanting the Saudi and Bahraini national anthems, to welcome HRH the Crown Prince.
An official reception ceremony was held for HRH the Crown Prince, where the Saudi and Bahraini Royal anthems were played, and then reviewed the guard of honor.
At the main hall at Sakhir Palace, the King of Bahrain welcomed HRH the Crown Prince on his current visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, while HRH the Crown Prince expressed his thanks and appreciation to the King of Bahrain for the warm reception and generous hospitality.
HRH the Crown Prince conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, while the Bahraini King conveyed his greetings to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
During the meeting, they reviewed fraternal and historic relations between the two brotherly countries, and ways to enhance cooperation in various fields. They also reviewed the latest developments at the regional and international arenas.
The meeting was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy; Prince Turki bin Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet; Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the National Guard; Prince Sultan bin Ahamd bin Abdulaziz, Saudi ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain; Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture; Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and National Security Adviser Dr. Musaed bin Mohammad Al-Aiban; Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet Dr. Isaam bin Saad bin Saeed; Acting Minister of Commerce and Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi; Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih; Minister of Finance Mohammad Al-Jadaan, and Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim.
On the Bahraini side, it was attended by Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and a number of the Bahraini sheikhs and ministers.
The Crown Prince Muhammad was accompanied during the tour by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Earlier, the Crown Prince was received by UAE's Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid welcomed Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who is currently visiting the UAE, stressing the strong and deep-rooted ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The meeting addressed ways of strengthening the joint Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) action, as well as future aspirations and the ongoing overall coordination between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in line with their regional statures and their international positions.
The two leaders also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, as well as the advanced level of coordination between the two countries, in light of their profound and deep-rooted ties, under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Prince Muhammad expressed his happiness at visiting the UAE during its Golden Jubilee, stressing the keenness of their leaderships to coordinate in all areas and unify their positions and views on regional and international issues.
He then lauded Dubai's significant efforts to host Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Saudi Crown Prince was welcomed in Kuwait by Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.
Kuwait's Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah said on Thursday that the visit showed the solid ties between Kuwait and Riyadh "on both official and unofficial levels, and in consolidation of amicable bonds between both countries' leaders and peoples," Kuwait's news agency KUNA reported.
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's visit was the third since he took over as crown prince.
His first visit to Kuwait was in May 2015 when he was Deputy Crown Prince, and his second was in September 2018 after becoming the Crown Prince on June 21, 2017.
Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah's first visit to the Saudi Kingdom was in June, and his second was on last October when he attended the "Green Middle East Initiative" summit.
The cooperation between the two countries included all fields, leading to the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council on May 25, 1981, which accomplished many achievements for Gulf countries within the framework of joint action.
The two countries signed several agreements that covered various fields, including media, scientific, cultural, economic, air transport services, facilitating citizens' movement of both countries, flow of goods across the borders, and exchange of scholarships for citizens of both countries.
They also inked memoranda of understanding for cooperation in fields of Islamic affairs and provide facilities for pilgrims, which are always preceded by coordination and consultative meetings, positively reflecting on the two brotherly people.
In pursuit of expanding cooperation in all fields, the two countries signed the minute of the Saudi-Kuwaiti Coordination Council on July 18, 2018, which held its first meeting in Riyadh last June, and saw the signing of six agreements on cooperation in the field of youth, encouragement of direct investment, as well as education, scientific research and sports, according to KUNA.