[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Saudi-Qatari ties get a boost" ids="103772,103858,103857,103855,103854"] Doha — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman arrived in Doha on a two-day official visit. The King was received at Hamad International Airport by Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. Many people lined up on the roads leading to the Emiri Diwan carrying Qatari and Saudi flags to welcome the King. Mounted guards rode with the King's motorcade along Corniche. Children sang traditional songs. Qatar TV broadcasted the event live. There was also ceremonial canon firing to welcome King Salman. The two leaders discussed ways to enhance the well-established bilateral ties in addition to the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the competent authorities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will implement the directives of the leaders of the two countries with regard to the continuous coordination for the implementation of joint projects in order to realize Saudi Vision 2030 and the Qatar National Vision 2030. King Salman will travel to Manama on Tuesday to attend the 37th summit of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in the Bahraini capital. Several key topics such as regional security, combating terrorism and extremism, confronting potential challenges in the region, in addition to bolstering the Gulf joint work will figure high on the summit's agenda. Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul-Malek Al-Asheikh said that the 37th GCC summit, which starts on Tuesday in Bahrain, will help strengthen the bonds of joint action among Gulf states. He commended in a press statement the preparations made by Bahrain for hosting this important summit. He drew attention to the vision of King Salman approved by GCC leaders to strengthen security and military cooperation by establishing defense mechanism among GCC countries. King's stay in Qatar will help in taking bilateral ties to higher levels. King Salman's recent visit to Doha to offer condolences on the death of the Grandfather Emir Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Thani reflected the strength and durability of these distinctive bilateral ties. Confirming the unity of destiny of the two countries, Qatar took part in the North Thunder Exercise within the Arab coalition forces to protect the legitimacy in Yemen against the Houthi coup. The establishment of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council in 2008 came as a step toward realizing the aspirations of the leadership. The Council held four sessions, the first of which was in Riyadh and most recent was in Doha in 2013 when ways to develop cooperation in the military, security, economic, trade, agriculture, cultural and media areas were discussed. Figures indicate that Qatar is the favorite tourist destination for families from Saudi Arabia. The country received 2.18 million visitors during the first nine months of 2016, of which more than one million visitors were from GCC countries and Saudi Arabia topped the list with more than 740,000 visitors between January and September 2016, representing an increase of 8% compared to the same period last year. On the corporate and investment level 315 companies fully owned by Saudis are operating in Qatar in addition to 303 joint companies with a total capital of QR1.252bn.
