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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Naif hold talks with Qatar Interior Minister Shaikh Abdullah in Tunis. Image Credit: SPA

Tunis: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz met with the Qatari Premier and Minister of Interior Shaikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani on the sidelines of the 34th session of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in Tunisia.

According to Saudi Press Agency, SPA, the parties discussed fraternal relations between the two countries, and means of enhancing them in various fields, especially in the security domain, combating extremism and fighting terrorism, as well as topics related to the meetings of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers.

The two countries have seen a relative improvement of ties since a sharp deterioration two years ago.

In 2015, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar because Doha had not implemented an agreement among Gulf Arab countries not to interfere in each others’ internal affairs.

The move by the three countries was unprecedented in the three-decade history of the Gulf Cooperation Council, an alliance of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Oman.

Qatar has been a maverick in the region, backing Islamist groups in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East that are viewed with suspicion or outright hostility by some fellow GCC members.