Qatar’s emir has met the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Winter Olympics in Beijing for the first time since a dispute between Doha and four Arab countries were resolved last year.
As reported on Sunday by Qatar’s state news agency, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday during a lunch hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
There is a video clip of the two Gulf leaders speaking on UAE news websites.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that leaders from Uzbekistan, Ecuador, and Tajikistan attended the gathering in Beijing.
After cutting diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar in mid-2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt agreed in January 2021 to resolve a four-year dispute. The UAE has yet to restore diplomatic relations with Doha.
However, the UAE’s leader had his first official visit to Doha in four years last year, after the bitter dispute was resolved. In August, the brother of the UAE’s de facto ruler, National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Sheikh Tamim.
Last year, Saudi Arabia and Egypt both appointed ambassadors to Qatar. Except for Bahrain, all have reestablished travel and trade links.
