UAE president visits Qatar

DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) president will visit Qatar on Monday, state news agency WAM reported, in the first such visit since Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies ended a boycott of Doha nearly two years ago.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE's de facto ruler for years before becoming president earlier this year, will visit Qatar on an invitation from Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, whose country is hosting football's World Cup, the state-run WAM news agency reported.

“The visit builds on the existing brotherly relations between the two nations and their people,” WAM said in its brief report.

The opening ceremony of the World Cup, which coincided with Qatar facing Ecuador in the tournament's first match, saw Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi attend. Also on the dais with leaders was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who provided a vital lifeline to Qatar during the crisis.

Dubai's ruler also attended along with his son while Sheikh Mohamed did not attend. However, he called Sheikh Tamim the following day and “congratulated” Qatar on hosting the World Cup — something that would have been unthinkable at the height of the diplomatic crisis.