DN - Defence Notes
NATO rejects Qatar membership ambition
NATO on 6 June declined an overture by Qatar to join the Western military defence alliance, saying membership was reserved to the US and Europe.
It was responding to a comment by Qatar's defence minister on 5 June that his country's long-term strategic ‘ambition’ was to join NATO.
An official of the 29-country alliance told AFP, ‘According to Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, only European countries can become members of NATO. Qatar is a valuable and longstanding partner of NATO.’
Speaking on the anniversary of a bitter year-long diplomatic dispute among Gulf nations that has seen Qatar isolated from its former regional allies, Qatar's Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah said Qatar wanted to become a full member of NATO.
Attiyah told the official magazine of the Qatari Defence Ministry, Altalaya: ‘Qatar today has become one of the most important countries in the region in terms of the quality of armament.
‘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.’
His remarks come at a politically sensitive time in the region.
On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and Iran.
The four countries expelled Qataris, and the country's only land border with Saudi Arabia has been closed for the past year.
Diplomatic efforts have so far proved fruitless in what was previously one of the most stable regions in the Arab world.
More from Defence Notes
-
NATO, Russia to hold talks amid missile treaty crisis
NATO and Russian officials will hold talks this week, the alliance said on 21 January, with the future of a key Cold War era arms ...
-
Two Russian fighter jets collide over Sea of Japan
Two Russian Su-34 fighter jets collided on Friday over the Sea of Japan during a training flight, with both crews managing to eject, the defence ...
-
Singapore picks US F-35 fighter jet over Europe, China rivals
Singapore has chosen the F-35 warplane to replace its ageing fighter jets, opting for the US aircraft over European and Chinese models, the defence ministry ...
-
Lockheed receives LRASM second production lot
Lockheed Martin has received a $172 million contract from the US Navy and US Air Force for the second production lot of Long Range Anti-Ship ...
-
Surface Navy 2019: USMC considers decrease in operational commitments
As the US Marine Corps (USMC) continues to grapple with its deployment-to-dwell (D2D) ratio a top service official has suggested a decrease in operational commitments ...
-
Russia starts production of a new-generation strategic bomber
The first production works on the Russian PAK-DA new-generation strategic bomber programme are set to be given a go-ahead this year. According to the Russian ...