Qatari emir travels to UAE for summit with six Arab leaders

Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad travelled to the UAE on Wednesday for what has been described as a "consultative brotherly meeting" between the heads of states of Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Bahrain in addition to Qatar and the UAE.

The emir left Doha for Abu Dhabi on Wednesday to take part in "a consultative brotherly meeting, in response to an invitation from the President of the UAE", the Qatari News Agency (QNA) said.

He was greeted on the tarmac by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed at Abu Dhabi airport.

"HH the Amir arrives in the United Arab #Emirates to participate in a consultative meeting. HH President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan leads the well-wishers to welcome HH the Amir upon his arrival at Presidential Flight in Abu Dhabi," QNA said in a tweet.

Oman's national news agency also reported that Oman's Sultan Haithem bin Tariq would be taking part in a "Gulf summit" in Abu Dhabi.

It follows a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories.

Qatar restored ties with the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain in 2021, following a break in relations, which lasted for over three years.

The four countries imposed a blockade on Qatar in 2017 after accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism" and having secret relations with Iran.

Qatar vehemently denied the accusations and said that its neighbours were trying to impose "hegemony".

Following the restoration of relations, ties between Qatar and Saudi Arabia improved considerably with regular official visits, although exchanges with the UAE have been less frequent.

This is the Qatari emir's second visit to Abu Dhabi since the restoration of ties. MbZ visited Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, the first by a UAE head of state since the 2017 blockade.