Federation of Arab Emirates In 1968, after the British announced their intention to withdraw from the Persian Gulf region, its former protectorates, which included Qatar,
Bahrain and the
Trucial States, considered forming a union known as the
Federation of Arab Emirates. However, in 1971, both Qatar and Bahrain withdrew from the union, instead opting to declare independence. Six of the trucial states would go on to form the United Arab Emirates the same year, with
Ras Al Khaimah joining in 1972.
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Coup d'état In 1995, after
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposed his father to become emir of Qatar, UAE granted asylum to the deposed
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani in a quarter in
Abu Dhabi. Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan tried to mediate between the father and his son, and advised Khalifa bin Hamad to congratulate his son. The coup affair was revived in 2018 after the
Qatar diplomatic crisis with
Al Jazeera broadcasting documentaries of new details accusing UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt, of plotting to overthrow Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and reinstating his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. According to the documentary, a former French army commander
Paul Barril was contracted and supplied with weapons by the UAE to carry out the coup operation in Qatar.
2014 Riyadh Agreement The UAE, along with
Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain, withdrew their ambassador from Qatar in March 2014 due to alleged failure by Qatar to abide by an agreement not to interfere in the politics of these countries. The main reason for the dispute was UAE's support for the political regime in Egypt led by
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Egypt's military elite which contrasted Qatar's support for the democratically elected
Muslim Brotherhood, which was deposed following
mass protests and a
military coup d'état in 2013. The government of Qatar continued to back the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and Qatar's Emir
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani denounced el-Sisi's
election as president in June 2014 as a ‘military coup’. In September 2014, it was reported that the Emirati government invested US$3 million into a lobbying campaign against Qatar, primarily as a response to Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood. The campaign was aimed at influencing American journalists to publish critical articles of Qatar's alleged funding of Islamist groups. Qatar has also been accused of influencing news outlets, including Al Jazeera, to report unfavorably on the UAE. It was claimed by journalist
Brian Whitaker that the UAE used
Global Network for Rights and Development, an NGO to which it has ties, as a political tool. Whitaker claimed that the organization showed favoritism in its 2014-human rights index by ranking UAE at 14 and Qatar at 97. The organization has also taken an opposing stance towards Qatar's hosting of the
2022 FIFA World Cup over human rights concerns. Two of the organization's employees were arrested by Qatari authorities in 2014 while they were investigating the living standards of foreign laborers.
Second Libyan Civil War The second Libyan Civil War has been described as a
proxy conflict between the two countries, with the UAE backing the secular
Tobruk government and Qatar backing the Islamist
National Salvation Government.
2017–2021 Qatar diplomatic crisis On 5 June 2017, the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. This was precipitated by messages broadcast by the
Qatar News Agency in May 2017 which criticized Saudi Arabia and cast Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood in a positive light. Qatar denied that it was responsible for the messages, claiming that its news agency was hacked. The four aforementioned countries censored all Qatari, and Qatari-affiliated news outlets as part of severing diplomatic ties. In addition to severing ties on 5 June, the UAE also expelled all Qatari nationals living in the Emirates and prohibited its citizens from travelling to Qatar. Furthermore, the UAE closed off its airspace and territorial waters to Qatari vessels. In two separate incidents, on 21 December 2017 and 3 January 2018, the UAE was accused by Qatar's government of infringing on its airspace with fighter jets. As a result, two complaints were filed to the
UN by Qatar's representative
Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani. For their part, the UAE rebuked the allegations, claiming that it had never impeached on Qatar's airspace with warplanes. On 14 January, Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani, reportedly released a video in which he claimed he was being detained in the UAE by Emirati authorities after being invited to the country by MBZ. Emirati authorities denied that he was being forcefully held stating that he was in the country “at his own behest”. According to UAE authorities, "Sheikh Abdullah had expressed his desire to leave the UAE following which all measures were taken to honour his desire without any reservation". Another air traffic-related incident occurred on 15 January 2018, when the UAE accused Qatar of 'intercepting' two civilian airliners en route to Bahrain with fighter jets. This was quickly denied by Qatari government officials. During the
2019 Asian Cup semifinal match between
Qatar and the tournament host
United Arab Emirates. Some UAE supporters threw bottles and
footwears into the pitch; this conduct was preceded by booing the
Qatari national anthem. Qatar won 4–0 despite the situation, paving way to their first Asian Cup final and eventual title. On 12 November 2019, the UAE decided to participate in the
24th Arabian Gulf Cup, which was hosted by Qatar, after initially boycotting it. According to analysts, the participation from the UAE was a signal that the feud between the countries would end shortly after. On 6 January 2021, Qatar and UAE agreed to fully restore diplomatic ties. In July 2023, Sultan Salmeen Saeed Al Mansouri was appointed as Ambassador of Qatar to the UAE.
Banque Havilland scandal A private bank,
Banque Havilland devised a plan to start a financial war against Qatar, after it was hired by the UAE ambassador to the US,
Yousef Al Otaiba. A 2017 document containing the plan to devalue the Qatari riyal was prepared by an analyst at the bank, Vladimir Bolelyy, and its copy was forwarded to an official of the
Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Employees at the Banque Havilland referred to the UAE President
Mohammed bin Zayed as “The Boss”, who had close ties with the bank owner,
David Rowland. In January 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority fined the bank £10 million. It also banned and fined the former London CEO, Edmund Rowland, Bolelyy and a former senior manager, David Weller.
The Misfits 2021 The film has been controversial in Qatar after its release owing to some real-life negative references to Qatar to
"terror" financing and explicit references to
Muslim Brotherhood as "terrorists" with
Yusuf al-Qaradawi as their mastermind. A documentary by
Al Jazeera, released in August 2021, revealed the United Arab Emirates actively funded the American movie.
Qatargate Scandal Qatargate is an ongoing political scandal involving allegations that the Qatari government corruptly influenced some members of the
European Parliament, their families and their staff to benefit the Qatari, Moroccan and Mauritanian governments. In July 2022, the Belgian Federal Police announced an investigation into an alleged criminal organization. In December 2022, Belgian police raided 20 locations in Brussels, including offices in the European Parliament. 8 arrests were made in Belgium and Italy, and large amounts of cash were confiscated during the raids. However, Qatar denied any wrongdoing, and accused the UAE of "orchestrating" the scandal against it. A European Union correspondent Jack Parrock reported "that everyone in the Qatari government believes that the Emirates planned the alleged bribery case against Qatar." Later, a report by Italian news website,
Dagospia claimed that the UAE national security adviser
Tahnoun bin Zayed gave tips to Belgium, which opened the probe against Qatar. In 2023, the international investigation series
Abu Dhabi Secrets alleged that the UAE had an influence strategy to spy on citizens of 18 countries in Europe and beyond. Using a Swiss intelligence firm Alp Services by
Mario Brero the UAE intelligence services allegedly received the names of more than 1000 individuals and 400 organizations in 18 European countries, labeling them as part of the
Muslim Brotherhood network in Europe.
2023–2024 In a 2024 conversation between the UAE president, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, they discussed ways to enhance cooperation and collective action at various levels. Both emphasized the need to intensify efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza and discussed the importance of establishing a fair and stable peace solution for all parties. ==Economic relations==