As he flew to the Middle East to celebrate his diplomatic victory on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, President Donald Trump heaped praise on one ally in particular: Qatar.

“Qatar was a tremendous help to getting this done. I hope people can realize that,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “It was very tough and very dangerous for Qatar. They were very brave.”

The Gulf nation has long been a broker in diplomatic negotiations but its key role as mediator, along with Egypt, in the Gaza talks further cemented its stature in the eyes of the US president.

In a sign of the warm relationship within his first 10 months in office, Trump received a plane meant to be used as Air Force One from Doha and the president signed an executive order giving Qatar an unprecedented bilateral defense pact with the US following an Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in its capital Doha.

But Trump’s effusive praise was a far cry from his stance on Qatar in the early months of his first term, when he accused the nation of funding terrorism in the region.

US officials, regional sources, and experts say the vastly improved relations are due to the development of personal relations between Trump and members of his close inner circle and Qatari leaders, a steady campaign of lobbying, and the nation’s ability to deliver as an effective interlocutor between the US and a vast number of players including the Taliban, the Houthis, Iran and Hamas.

“I can’t recall any country that’s had the turnaround that Qatar has,” said Ben Freeman, who tracks foreign influence at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

‘The Qataris were critical’

Trump signaled the importance of his relationship with Qatar to his second term by including the small nation on the first overseas trip after his inauguration.

Trump immediately tapped into the relationships that had developed during his first term and had been strengthened by business deals that his friends and family had done with Qatar in recent years, explained current