Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed is described as a mastermind of political strategy.

A top Emirati official met with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Amiri Diwan on Tuesday, state media said.

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, who serves as the UAE’s national security adviser, was in the Qatari capital to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation for the benefit of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Known by analysts as a mastermind in political strategy, Sheikh Tahnoun is also the brother of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince. Last year, he made a similar visit to Doha just months after the blockade was lifted with the signing of the Al Ula Agreement.

The August visit marked the first of its kinds since the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt collectively severed ties with Qatar in 2017, imposing an illegal air, land and sea blockade over terrorism claims. Qatar has consistently rejected those allegations.

Analysts at the time saw that trip as the equivalent of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visiting Doha.

“It’s a bit of a realisation from Abu Dhabi that Doha played their card more effectively in order to achieve their objectives,” Dr. Andreas Krieg, assistant professor at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London and researcher of Middle East and North African Studies told Doha News last year.

“I think it’s kind of also an admission of peace post the Gulf crisis and the UAE have to realise that despite all their efforts, all the investments that they’ve made against Qatar in the region and also in Washington, they are not able to do a way with Doha’s quite dominant position in this part of the world,” Dr. Krieg added in August.

Political analyst and researcher Dr. Ali Bakeer said the move suggests the Emiratis had no other choice.

“Now that the Qatari-Saudi and the Qatari -Egyptian relations are advancing in the right way, Abu Dhabi has no choice but to mend the fences in order to stay in the game. The question is how genuine are these efforts and whether they are strategic or tactical,” he told Doha News.

Despite the visits, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have yet to reinstate their diplomatic missions in Qatar, though Saudi Arabia and Egypt have reopened their embassies.