UPDATE -- December 4, 2020, 4.20 pm: This article has been updated to include an official statement from Kuwait's Foreign Minister.

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister and acting Minister of Information Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser Al Sabah said in a statement today that fruitful discussions have taken place to reach a final agreement and resolution of the Gulf crisis.

He highlighted that all the parties involved in the discussions expressed their concern for regional stability and affirmed that the GCC and the countries continue to strive to achieve the best for their peoples.

He also pointed out that the discussions come within the framework of the efforts by the late Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah.

"We appreciate the serious efforts exerted by the adviser to the US President Jared Kushner for his support to reach a reconciliation,” the Kuwaiti Minister added.

The Kuwaiti statement is an imperative step towards resolving the GCC crisis. We express our gratitude to the State of Kuwait for their mediation & the United States for their efforts. The interest and security of the people of the Gulf & the region remain our top priority.

— محمد بن عبدالرحمن (@MBA_AlThani_) December 4, 2020

Earlier today, His Excellency Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani confirmed that there has been movement toward finding a solution to the Gulf crisis.

“Right now, there is movement that we hope will put an end to this crisis,” the Qatari minister is quoted to have said by Al Jazeera.

“We believe the end of the crisis is important for the security of the region and for [the] sake of our people. This crisis needs to end based on mutual respect and the rights of all people of the Gulf,” he stressed.

“Qatar is not differentiating between any of the countries. We hope things will move in the right direction but we cannot yet predict if it will be imminent and if it will be resolved in one day,” he further mentioned.

Pointing to the demands of the blockading nations, the FM stated, "There is no country that is in a position to place demands on the other. There are differences that need to be overcome."

“If there are any disagreements, there must be a discussion to resolve them. We need to build our relationship based on mutual respect of sovereignty," he added.

He also affirmed that the efforts to resolve the crisis have nothing to do with the Abraham Accords or normalization with Israel.

It has been over three years since the start of the Gulf crisis, which saw the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain, severe all ties with Qatar, including diplomatic and trade ties.

Over these years, Qatar has consistently stressed the need for dialogue and called for negotiations to end the illegal blockade.

Although there were some signs of a possible diffusion of the Gulf crisis last year, no concrete solution was achieved earlier. 

Among some other positive steps, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had restarted its postal services to Qatar (for the first time since the start of the blockade) earlier this year. 

Qatar has repeatedly expressed its readiness to resolve the crisis through unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect, giving utmost importance to the security and stability of the region.

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Source: Al Jazeera