Doha: Defence relations between Qatar and the UK got a fresh boost yesterday following a meeting between the Emir
H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Philip Hammond (pictured), British Secretary of State for Defence.
They reviewed cooperation, especially in the military field.
“We have cooperation in military training in Qatar and making training places available in the UK. We might enhance that and provide additional support in the country and different places in the UK. So that is an area, (we are) happy to see growth in future,” Hammond told reporters after the meeting.
He said the UK is interested in meeting requirements of Qatari Armed Forces. “Qatar has requirements in several areas and we are interested in British industry collaborating to deliver the requirements of Qatari Armed Forces and support aspiration of Qatari indigenous industry to grow and gain capability on the back of these requirements.
“So we see this as a partnership arrangement where we can work together and help deliver the requirements of the Qatari Armed Forces.”
He said the Emir is expected to visit the UK before Ramadan.
He said deals worth QR230m were signed between both countries during the defence exhibition DIMDEX.
“I don’t think we measure the importance of this exhibition in terms of deals done. Defence relationships are long-term, it’s about building confidence, it’s about growing understanding on what is available and what’s going to become available. We are here for long term not for short term,” he said.
To a question about the issue of recalling ambassadors from Qatar by some GCC members, he said, “These are disagreements between friends. I am sure these will be resolved in a timely manner so that good and growing cooperation in the GCC can be resumed”.
He said the UK may also look at setting up a military base in Gulf.
“As we draw down from Afghanistan, where we have for many years had an opportunity to provide training to our forces through deployment in Afghanistan, we have to think how to train our forces in desert warfare and hot condition combat in future and certainly one of the options is to establish more permanent facility somewhere in the Gulf. So it is a possibility we are looking at.
“Our economic recovery is fragile, anything which causes spike in oil price would derail it and the most likely thing to cause spike is some upsurge in tension in this region. So it is very much in our interest to have a stable situation in the Gulf.”
Later in the evening, the Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Major General Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah, and the Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr Mohamed bin Saleh Al Sada joined Hammond, Ambassador, Nicholas Hopton and over 1,000 guests of the British embassy, in celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.
Guests were kept entertained by the Doha military band, Doha Jazz, the UK’s visiting Urban Playground parkour team, and British artist Rachel Gadsden with his live painting.
“Qatar and the UK have a long and historic partnership, which the UK values greatly. We have worked closely together for many decades now, including on active service in Libya in 2011, and I was delighted today to be able to discuss with
H H the Emir and H E the Minister of State for Defence Affairs ways in which to strengthen the long-term defence partnership between our two nations,” said Hammond.
The Peninsula
