(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Mohamed Fahd | Anadolu
DOHA:Qatar is looking forward to a full NATO membership, the country's defense minister said Tuesday.
"We are certainly better than before," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyahsaid in an interview with Altalaya , the official magazine of the Qatari Defense Ministry.
"Qatar today has become one of the most important countries in the region in terms of the quality of armament, he said.
The Qatari minister cited the growing cooperation between Doha and the NATO which he said may lead to "hosting one of the NATO's units or one of its specialized centers.
"Regarding the membership, we are a main ally from outside the NATO… the ambition is full membership if our partnership with NATO develops and our vision is clear, H E al-Attiyah said.
"NATO appreciates Qatar's contribution to combating terrorism and [drying up] its financing, he added.
The minister's statements came on the first anniversary of the Gulf crisis, when four Arab states - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain -- imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar in hopes of making it comply with a long list of demands.
MENAFN0506201800630000ID1096969913
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.