Riyadh, July 13, 2019, SPA -- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has called upon the concerned authorities in Qatar to facilitate the arrival of Qatari brothers wishing to perform Hajj and remove the obstacles imposed by the Government of Qatar to prevent them from coming to perform this great ritual. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed in a press statement the keenness of the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud to use all means to facilitate the arrival of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims from the State of Qatar similar to what it does towards all Muslims wishing to perform Hajj and Umrah. It was agreed that more than one million and seven hundred thousand pilgrims would come to perform Hajj this year 1440 H. while nearly 8 million Muslims from all over the world performed Umrah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah rejected allegations made by the Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs that the government of Saudi Arabia is obstructing those Qataris and expatriates in Qatar who wish to visit the holy sites to perform Hajj and Umrah, and not allowing the Hajj and Umrah campaigns to enter the Kingdom, stressing that this is untrue. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has launched several electronic links to enable Qataris and residents of Qatar to book their places of residence, contract services, and come through non-Qatari airlines to perform their duties. In return the Qatari government blocked these links for Qataris and Muslim citizens residing in Qatar, and to enable them to perform the rituals Saudi Arabia announced that it welcomes the Qataris to come to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and perform Umrah and contract the services they need when they arrive in the Kingdom. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also invited the officials responsible for Hajj affairs in Qatar in the year 1440 H., like other officials in Islamic countries to come to the Kingdom to arrange the arrival of the Qatari pilgrims, and a meeting with them was held on 8/6/1440 H. and the meeting discussed all matters related to the organization of the arrival of pilgrims and residents from Qatar to perform Hajj, but the Qatari delegation left without signing the Hajj agreement, and therefore the Qatari authorities did not give the opportunity to the Qatari Hajj companies to come to agree with the providers of Hajj services in the Kingdom. At the same time, it stressed the Kingdom's total rejection of any attempt to politicize the Hajj and its denunciation of involving the political situation between the two countries, which has it political circumstances and causes, in the Hajj and Umrah, stressing that the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Qatar should enable Muslims in Qatar to come to perform rituals through all international airlines except Qatar Airways, and not to prevent them, and help them perform Hajj and Umrah without being involved in political matters. At the end of its statement, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah affirmed its continuous welcome of Qatari brothers to come to the Kingdom to perform Hajj and Umrah rituals and their keenness to enable them to perform their rituals as all pilgrims from all over the world. It calls on those responsible for Hajj and Umrah affairs in the Qatari government to respond to the facilities offered by the government of the Kingdom for pilgrims to perform their duties and that the facilities offered by the Kingdom to citizens and residents in Qatar continue and support their desire to come to the Holy Land to perform Hajj and Umrah in safety, comfort and reassurance. --SPA 22:37 LOCAL TIME 19:37 GMT 0020 www.spa.gov.sa/w1136295