Qatar has announced that it concluded a 5-billion-euro deal with Italy for the purchase of seven navy vessels, as part of a military cooperation agreement between the two countries. The announcement was made following a meeting between Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani with his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano in Doha. “We had bilateral talks in which we discussed bilateral ties between the state of Qatar and Italy. We have very strong friendly and economic ties and also strong ties in the field of defense and security. Political consultation between our two countries is going on and I am pleased to announce the conclusion of a deal with the Qatari Emiri Navy to purchase seven navy units from Italy as part of a military cooperation program between the two countries,” the Qatari Foreign Minister said.
During their meeting the two top diplomats discussed, among other topics, the ongoing crisis between Qatar and four Arab states, including: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The four Arab states accuse Qatar of ongoing support of Islamists, including the internationally recognized terror group ‘the Muslim Brotherhood’, as well as active support of the aggressive regional policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.