A general view taken on Feb 28, 2020 shows the skyline of the Qatari capital, Doha. (PHOTO / AFP)

A senior United Arab Emirates royal visited Qatar to meet with its emir, the first high-level engagement between the ruling families since the end of a bitter three-year dispute that cut Doha off from many of its neighbors.

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE national security adviser, led the delegation to Qatar that included talks with ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency reported on Thursday.

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE national security adviser, led the delegation to Qatar that included talks with ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency reported on Thursday

The surprise meeting follows years of hostility between the two Gulf states and came nearly a week after Sheikh Tahnoun visited Turkey, which has been on the opposite side to the UAE in recent regional conflicts.

The diplomacy has broad implications at a time of uncertainty in the region. States are assessing how to deal with Afghanistan, where the Taliban have returned to power, and regional heavyweight Iran is weighing how to proceed with talks to revive its nuclear deal with world powers.

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“The meeting touched upon bilateral relations and ways to further develop cooperation between the two countries, especially in the economic and trade fields,” as well as achieving the common interests of the two countries, according to WAM.

The boycott of Qatar by Gulf states ended in January as Saudi Arabia pushed for reconciliation. The standoff, which erupted in June 2017, had stopped trade and transport links, including commercial flights, between Qatar and the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.

The boycotting nations accused Qatar of meddling in their internal affairs, supporting Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, and building ties with Iran, charges it denied.

Trade between the UAE and Qatari has resumed but ties remained cool.

READ MORE: UAE and Qatar resume cross-border flights as ties normalize