A Qatari envoy sent on behalf of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has met with Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo in an effort to improve relations between the two countries.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have deteriorated over the past year since the removal of former Muslim Brotherhood-backed president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, and the subsequent appointment of Al-Sisi as leader.

Qatar had provided substantial financial aid to the Mursi government and the Gulf country’s support for the Brotherhood has caused rifts with other states in the region in recent months.

The meeting in Cairo was brokered by Saudi Arabia as part of an agreement reached together with Bahrain and the UAE in November to end the dispute with Qatar.

An official statement from Qatar’s news agency said: “The state of Qatar, which attaches great importance to the leading role of Egypt in the Arab and Muslim worlds, confirms its keenness on close relations with Egypt”.

A statement on Saudi Arabia’s news agency said the kingdom was keen to see a “new page” open between the two countries, “enhancing integration and cooperation between the two countries to achieve the higher interests of the Arab and Islamic nations”.