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The Saudi Press Agency reported that Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif met with Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s minister of interior and commander of its internal security force, in the Saudi capital. The officials reviewed bilateral security cooperation and ways to enhance coordination on shared challenges. Prince Abdulaziz highlighted that the session took place under directives from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, reflecting the strong relations between the neighboring states.
Following their bilateral talks, the two ministers presided over the fourth meeting of the Security and Military Committee that operates under the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council. Discussions focused on agenda items aimed at expanding joint initiatives across security and defense domains. At the conclusion of the gathering, Prince Abdulaziz and Al Thani signed the official minutes documenting outcomes from the committee’s fourth session.
Several senior officials attended the proceedings, including Saudi Assistant Minister of Interior Dr. Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Faleh and representatives from intelligence and legal affairs units. The Saudi Press Agency listed additional participants from both sides involved in security policy and international cooperation. These attendees contributed to detailed exchanges on operational alignment between the two ministries.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani posted on X following the meeting that the sides had reaffirmed the strength of their security partnership. “We chaired today with my brother His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif Al Saud the meeting of the joint security and military committee in Riyadh and we affirmed the strength of the security partnership between our two countries and the support it receives from the leaders of the two brotherly countries,” Al Thani wrote. The post underscored the backing provided by the highest leadership in both nations for such collaborative mechanisms.
The committee forms a key pillar of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, which was established in the wake of the 2021 Al-Ula summit that restored full diplomatic relations across the Gulf. Earlier sessions, including a working group meeting in June 2026, advanced similar agendas on joint security projects. Data from the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretariat indicate that bilateral coordination bodies have expanded since 2021 to cover more than a dozen specialized committees addressing trade, investment and security matters.
Saudi Press Agency accounts placed the latest committee meeting within a pattern of regular high-level contacts that have intensified over the past five years. The eighth session of the overarching Coordination Council, held earlier under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar’s emir, produced agreements that explicitly extended to security and military fields. Those frameworks continue to guide the work of specialized panels like the one that convened on September 17.
Qatar Tribune reports drawing on the same official channels noted that the signed minutes formalize progress on multiple agenda points carried forward from prior gatherings. Both sides have maintained consistent emphasis on intelligence sharing and joint training as core elements of their partnership. The latest session adds to a growing record of documented cooperation that now spans several committee cycles since the council’s formation.
