Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman welcomed Arab Gulf leaders who arrived on Tuesday in the kingdom to attend the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit set to take place in the historic city of al-Ula.

The Saudi Crown Prince welcomed his Bahraini counterpart Prince Salman Bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. The Bahraini premier attended the Gulf summit on behalf of King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.

Bin Salman also received Dubai's ruler and the vice president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, and Kuwait’s Emir Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

He also received Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said.

The Crown Prince also greeted and hugged Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani upon his arrival to the summit, which is expected to see the signing of formal agreements to end a 4-year boycott by some GCC members of Doha. 

Saudi Arabia, along with allies Bahrain, UAE, Egypt, boycotted Doha in mid-2017, accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism. Qatar has denied these charges.

Ahead of the gathering, Kuwait announced that Saudi Arabia would reopen its airspace and borders to Qatar under a deal that a senior US official said would be signed in the presence of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is also set to attend the summit.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) welcoming his counterpart from Bahrain, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, upon his arrival in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia for the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit January 5, 2021 . (AFP)

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) welcoming Emir of Kuwait Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (L) upon his arrival in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia for the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit January 5, 2021. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomes Omani Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said upon his arrival to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. (AFP)

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) welcoming Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (L) upon his arrival in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia for the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit January 5, 2021. (AFP)