Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Khalifa Al-Thani will kick off a three-leg regional tour on Wednesday that will take him to Sudan, Algeria and Tunisia.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Khalifa Al-Thani will kick off a three-leg regional tour on Wednesday that will take him to Sudan, Algeria and Tunisia.

The Qatari leader's talks in the three Arab countries will focus on boosting bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest, the official QNA news agency reported.

Qatar's relations with a handful of Gulf countries have come under strain in recent months over Doha's support for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood group.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain all withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar, citing "interference" in their internal affairs.

Egypt-Qatar relations have also worsened since the Egyptian army ousted the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi – Egypt's first freely elected president – last summer.