DUBAI: Qatar’s emir met the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates during an official event at the Beijing Winter Olympics, in the first such interaction between the two Gulf leaders since four Arab states agreed to end a dispute with Doha over a year ago.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the sidelines of a lunch hosted by China’s president on Saturday, Qatar’s state news agency said.

UAE news websites published a video clip of the two leaders speaking.

Abu Dhabi has yet to restore diplomatic ties with Doha since Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt agreed in January 2021 to end a row that led them to boycott Qatar in mid-2017, though a senior Emirati official visited Doha last August. Saudi Arabia and Egypt last year appointed ambassadors to Qatar. All but Bahrain have restored travel and trade links.

The dispute erupted over accusations that Doha supported terrorism — a reference to Islamist groups — and its ties with regional adversary Iran and Turkey. Doha denies the charges.

The UAE, under a more conciliatory foreign policy driven by economic priorities, is engaging with both Tehran and Ankara, with which ties were badly strained over the role of Islamist groups following 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2022