French-Qatari relations are witnessing great development in light of Paris’s need for energy and gas.
Paris – The Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces, Salem bin Hamad bin Aqil Al-Nabit, is on an unlimited visit to France, following a visit by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to Paris, which was considered by the media of the two countries as a new step in the level of bilateral relations.
The Qatari Chief of Staff met his French counterpart, Thierry Bourcard, where the two sides discussed strengthening military relations, amid the likelihood that his ongoing visit would witness the agreement to sign a package of defense deals.
Sheikh Tamim had gone to Paris a few days ago in the context of a foreign tour that included Italy and Turkey, and during that visit he received a warm reception from French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted a dinner in his honor.
The Qatari Ministry of Defense stated in a statement that “during the meeting, which was attended by a number of senior officers of the Qatari Armed Forces, they reviewed the military cooperation relations between the two sides.”
According to the statement, the meeting included the signing of the minutes of the meeting of the Qatari-French Joint Higher Committee at its 24th session. The meeting’s agenda also included “agreeing on many joint activities and exercises, as well as exchanging experiences that will contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two friendly countries.”
France is betting on strengthening relations with the Gulf states in the face of the crisis it is suffering from as a result of the Ukrainian conflict, which has turned into a semi-drain for it, and there are no indications of its imminent end.
During the Qatar World Cup, the French president made two visits to Doha in the midst of the outbreak of the “Qatargate” scandal in the European Parliament, which angered political and human rights forces in France, who accused Macron of scrambling in search of money, energy and striking deals.
During the past years, Qatar concluded many arms deals with the French side, which included, in particular, the purchase of Rafale warplanes, in addition to armored vehicles and advanced missile defense systems.
In 2017, Doha bought 12 Rafale warplanes and about 500 military vehicles as part of a deal to counter pressure in the region after a number of Arab and Gulf countries cut ties with the Qatari authorities.
France is considered one of the leading countries in the field of manufacturing various weapons, especially aircraft and warships.
French-Qatari relations witnessed a great development during the last period, especially with Paris’ need for energy and gas after the decline in the flow of Russian gas due to the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and in light of Paris’s efforts to diversify energy sources.
Doha also has important investments in France, including the tourism, sports and other sectors, while right-wing and left-wing French political forces look with great concern at the size of the Qatari influence in the French interior.
These concerns escalated with the European Parliament revealing the scandal of Doha offering bribes to a number of MPs in Parliament to serve its interests, which represented an unprecedented scandal whose reverberations reached the political corridors in Paris.
Source : msn