NEW YORK, 6 January, 2021, (TON): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday welcomed the declaration on "solidarity and stability" announced at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit held in Saudi Arabia, said his deputy spokesman.

Farhan Haq said in a statement that “The declaration recognizes the importance of unity among the GCC states and aims to strengthen regional security, peace, stability and prosperity. Guterres also welcomes yesterday’s announcement on opening the airspace, land and sea borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and the State of Qatar.”

“The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude to those from the region and beyond, including the late Emir of Kuwait and late Sultan of Oman, who worked tirelessly towards resolving the Gulf rift. He trusts that all countries concerned will continue to act in a positive spirit to strengthen their relations” said the statement.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a land, air and sea blockade on Qatar against its alleged support for terrorism, Qatar vehemently denied the allegations.

Gulf leaders signed a “solidarity and stability” agreement towards ending the diplomatic rift with Qatar on Tuesday at the Gulf Arab leader’s annual summit in Saudi Arabia.