Qatar, UAE leaders meet at Beijing Winter Olympics

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.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties and launched a blockade on Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of links to Islamist groups and being too close to Iran, allegations Doha strongly denies.

The four other Middle Eastern countries sealed their airspace to Qatari flights, shuttered Qatar's only land border and expelled Qatari citizens.

The regional standoff concluded earlier this year with an agreement signed by Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, Qatar did not give in to a list of demands the quartet had made, including that it close its Al Jazeera news channel.