DOHA: On the anniversary of a year-long bitter Gulf diplomatic disputer which separated Qatar from its former regional allies.
Qatar’s defense minister
Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah said that his country’s long-term strategic “ambition” is to join NATO, and she wanted to become a full member of the 29-country alliance.
“Qatar today has become one of the most important countries in the region in terms of the quality of armament,” Attiyah told the official magazine of the Qatari defence ministry, Altalaya.
“Regarding the membership, we are a main ally from outside NATO.. The ambition is full membership if our partnership with NATO develops and our vision is clear.”
He added that there was a growing relationship between Qatar and the alliance, and Doha could host “NATO’s units or one of its specialized centers”.
A year ago, on June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and Iran.
For the past year, Qatar has been isolated by its neighboring allies with its only land border closed by Saudi Arabia and its residents expelled from the quartet’s countries.