Saudi king orders Qatar border be reopened to pilgrims
August 18th, 2017
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has ordered the country’s border with Qatar to be reopened in order to allow Qatari pilgrims to carry out their annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The move represents the first forward step ever since Saudi Arabia along with other Gulf nations completely cut off ties with Doha, after accusing it of supporting and funding extremist groups. The Salwa border crossing has remained shut since then. The announcement to reopen after Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman received an envoy from Doha, the first-ever public high-level encounter between the nations since the crisis erupted.