QATAR PLANS REGIONAL DEFENCE PARTNERSHIP

Qatar will soon announce a regional defence partnership, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Monday. Speaking at the Global Security Forum in Doha, he said Qatar had drawn on lessons from the Iran war to develop defence plans with neighbouring states. He said the partnership would address ballistic missiles, drones, cyberattacks and water security. Qatar also plans to announce a local defence production hub, he said. The hub would involve manufacturing or investment in defence companies with a regional partner and allies including the United States, Britain and France.

Sheikh Saoud said Gulf countries had countered more than 90% of Iran’s attacks on the region. He attributed that figure to cooperation with the US and decades of military investment, training and shared experience. He said development at Al Udeid airbase, which he described as the largest US base in the Middle East, would continue according to military needs. Qatar had maintained contact with Tehran at different levels during the conflict, he said. “We never stop our communication,” he told the forum.

Sheikh Saoud called for talks involving Iran, the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Pakistan and Turkey after the US and Iran reach a settlement. He said international allies should also be consulted. Qatar was working with Pakistan and Oman on mediation in the meantime, he said. He argued that dialogue and closer economic ties with Iran could help prevent further conflict. He warned that energy disruption had reached a “peak” and said more difficulties lay ahead “in the coming days and months”.