Qatar Tamim to visit Egypt for first time since boycott

Qatar’s ruler will visit Egypt on Friday, his first trip to the country since Egypt and Qatar agreed last year to end a long-running regional feud, diplomatic sources said, Reuters reports.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who last visited Egypt in 2015, will hold a formal meeting with Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday, the sources said.

He met Sisi for the first time since the dispute at a summit in Iraq last year.

There was no immediate comment from Qatari authorities.

The Emir’s visit comes days after Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman visited Cairo and the announcement of $7.7 billion in investment deals between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had boycotted Qatar since 2017 over charges it supports terrorism, a reference to Islamist groups. Qatar denied the accusation.

With Egypt facing economic headwinds as a result of the war in Ukraine, its cabinet said in March that Egypt and Qatar had agreed to sign investment deals worth $5 billion.

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