Malaysia rolls out red carpet for embattled Qatar’s emir

Sheikh Tamim, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur late on Sunday, was given a 21-gun salute at a state welcoming ceremony in parliament. He also inspected a guard-of-honour during the ceremony attended by Malaysia’s king, Prime Minister Najib Razak and cabinet ministers.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cut ties with Qatar on June 5 because of its close ties with Iran and claims it supports extremist groups in the region – a charge denied by Doha. They also launched an economic boycott, stopping Qatar Airways flights from using their airspace, closing off the small country’s sole land border with Saudi Arabia and blocking its ships from using their ports.

The emir’s trip to Malaysia comes eight months after a visit by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, the first by a Saudi king in more than a decade.