The latest visit comes days after Qatar and the UAE announced the resumption of mutual diplomatic representation.
Qatar’s Shura Council speaker Hassan Al Ghanim met with the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, just days after the announced resumption of diplomatic ties.
The meeting between the Qatari diplomat and Emirati president, commonly known as MbZ, delved into Doha and Abu Dhabi’s close ties and “the importance of enhancing parliamentary relations”, the UAE’s news agency reported.
Al Ghanim separately met with the Speaker of the UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) Saqr Ghobash.
A statement by the Shura Council said Al Ghanim and Ghobash “praised the relations between the two brotherly countries at the official and popular levels, stressing that this visit reflects the depth of these relations.”
“The two sides stressed the necessity of strengthening parliamentary relations, increasing cooperation between the two chambers, exchanging experiences and visits. They also stressed the importance of raising the level of coordination of parliamentary positions between them in various regional and international forums,” the statement added.
The latest visit comes days after Qatar and the UAE announced the resumption of mutual diplomatic representation in both countries on Monday, marking the final step to rapprochement to end the 2017 Gulf Cooperation Council crisis.
Several members of the international community, including the United States and Saudi Arabia, welcomed the move, describing it as “a step forward” for the region.
During a weekly press briefing on Tuesday, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Dr Majed Al Ansari, said the next step in relations is the appointment of ambassadors.
The region’s worst diplomatic crisis was triggered when the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed an illegal air, land and sea blockade on Qatar and severed all ties with the country.
At the time, the quartet accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, though Doha has consistently and vehemently denied those “baseless” allegations.
The crisis effectively came to an end in 2021 with the signing of the Al-Ula Declaration in Saudi Arabia following efforts by the former US administration and Kuwait.
In April, Qatari and Bahraini authorities announced steps to fully restore diplomatic ties. During the latest press briefing in Doha, Dr. Al Ansari confirmed that the “work is ongoing” to open the embassies between Qatar and Bahrain.
