Bahrain called Wednesday for resolving regional disputes "peacefully," in the midst of efforts aimed at ending the Gulf crisis, two weeks before an upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia.

The Supreme Defense Council in Bahrain stressed in a statement after a session chaired by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, "the need to end regional conflicts and disputes by peaceful means," according to the government news agency.

He added that solutions must be in line with "international covenants and the principles of good neighborliness, and work to establish peace, stability and prosperity for the benefit of all the peoples of the region."

Saudi Arabia and its allies the Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off relations with Qatar in June 2017 and banned it from using its airspace, accusing Doha of funding extremist Islamist movements, which Doha strongly denies. It also took on the great rapprochement with Iran.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt recently announced their desire to resolve the dispute. The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council will meet in Saudi Arabia on the fifth of next January, and the presence of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will be an indication of rapprochement.

A border dispute revolved for many years between Bahrain and Qatar over the waters and small islands, and was resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2001, but the two countries continued to exchange accusations about breaching the borders and arresting fishermen.

Last month, Doha accused two Bahraini coast guard boats of violating its territorial waters, but Bahrain denied this before announcing last Sunday that Doha was holding 47 Bahraini fishing boats.

On Monday, the government in Manama stressed the importance of "direct bilateral negotiations with the State of Qatar to reach an agreement on the continuity of allowing fishermen in the two countries to practice their activities in accordance with what has been known for decades."

The efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, which caused economic losses in the Gulf, come at a time when the region is awaiting the handover of US President-elect Joe Biden, who will welcome a solution to a dispute that has undermined the US efforts to confront Iran in a strategic region.

At a press conference with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Wednesday, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said, "No party will emerge from this crisis in victory."

"We will all emerge victorious only if a solution is found and confidence is rebuilt," he added, reiterating his country's call to the Gulf states to establish a dialogue with Iran, which Saudi Arabia considers its biggest opponent.