Emir to make official visits to Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina

A week after returning from Russia, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is flying to Italy today for a three-day official visit before traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar’s state news agency has reported.

It will be the first visit to either country by Qatar’s head of state in at least five years, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatar-backed Al Jazeera Balkans has been broadcasting from Sarajevo since 2011, and the Gulf state is preparing to launch a “friendship fund” for Bosnian small businesses, The Economist reported.