Saudi crown prince, Qatari emir, UAE NSA come together for ‘brotherly meeting’

Neom: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim al-Thani and the United Arab Emirates National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a brotherly meeting on September 17, 2021 at the Red Sea.

“A friendly, brotherly meeting in the Red Sea. It brings together His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the National Security Adviser to the UAE, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” Director of Saudi Crown Prince’s Private Office, Badr Al Asaker tweeted along with a picture of the three officials.

لقاء ودي أخوي بالبحر الأحمر
يجمع سمو سيدي الأمير محمد بن سلمان وأمير دولة قطر الشيخ تميم بن حمد آل ثاني، ومستشار الأمن الوطني في دولة الإمارات الشيخ طحنون بن زايد آل نهيان. pic.twitter.com/2nAUJ8HPM5

— بدر العساكر Bader Al Asaker (@Badermasaker) September 17, 2021

Last month, the UAE’s national security adviser had also met Qatar’s emir in Doha in the first such visit in four years following this year’s deal to end a bitter dispute, according to Reuters.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt had imposed a diplomatic, trade and travel embargo on Qatar since the middle of 2017 accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar had denied it, saying the embargo aimed to undermine its sovereignty.

In January this year, a breakthrough was reached in Qatar’s three-year-old dispute with Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries along with a US-backed agreement aimed at ending their rift.

“What happened today is the turning of the page on all points of difference and a full return of diplomatic relations,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in a press conference after a landmark regional summit in Saudi Arabia on Jan 5.

“During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and ways of consolidating the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) joint action,” the official Saudi Press Agency had said.

The development was significant in a series of Middle East deals sought by Washington – the others involving Israel and Arab states – aimed at building a united front against Iran.