The 38th summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council starts on Monday with preliminary meetings, and comes as the blockade on Doha imposed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates reaches six months.

Qatar has been accused of supporting and funding “terrorism”, charges it vehemently denies.

In June, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain imposed an air, sea and land blockade on Qatar, halting Qatar Airways operations.

Overall, 18 destinations in the region are now out of bounds for Qatar Airways, which has also been forced to close its offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The closure of Qatar’s only land border, with Saudi Arabia, means more of the country’s food has to be brought in by air.

Food was primarily imported from Doha’s Gulf Arab neighbours before the shutdown, and is now sourced from Turkey and Iran.

Kuwait, which has played the role of the mediator, is hosting this year’s summit. Whether or not it will have a positive effect remains unclear.

The agenda of this year’s summit has not been made public, but there are expectations that the crisis will be at the forefront of discussions.