A senior Emirati official made a visit to Qatar in the first such visit in four years following a deal to end a bitter dispute.
During the visit, National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nayhan met Qatar’s ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani.
Sheikh Tahnoun and the Qatari emir discussed strengthening cooperation, particularly in economic and trade areas.
Sheikh Tahnoun’s visit to Doha follows another rare trip that he made last week to Turkey, an ally of Qatar.
The UAE has been at odds with Turkey on several regional issues, including over the conflict in Libya. The two states have backed rival sides.
Ending Dispute
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt agreed in January to end the dispute that had led them to sever ties with Qatar in 2017 over accusations that Doha supported terrorism. Doha denied the charges.
Riyadh and Cairo have led efforts to mend ties and appointed ambassadors to Qatar. Abu Dhabi and Manama have yet to do so. All but Bahrain have restored travel and trade links.
Turkey has also moved to overcome tensions with Saudi Arabia and Egypt that have hurt the Turkish economy.
Another senior Emirati official said last week the UAE was “building bridges” as it focuses on economic development in its domestic and foreign policy.
