Qatar's emir receives invitation from Saudi king to attend GCC summit

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has received invitation from Saudi Arabian King Salman to attend the summit of Gulf Cooperation Council on December 9, Qatar News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The emir received "a written message" from the Saudi king, which was delivered by GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, the report said.

The 39th GCC summit is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

The agency did not say whether the emir had accepted the invitation.

In November, Kuwait's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al Jarallah said the upcoming summit could present a "hope to resolve the Gulf crisis and solve the differences."

The invitation came amid the deepening rift between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors since June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-GCC member Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar.

The Saudi-led bloc has imposed diplomatic, trade and transport sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charge.

On Monday, Qatar announced that it will withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on January 1, 2019, a move seen by some as a rebuke of the Saudi-dominated organization.