Qatar purchase of military equipment is 'sovereign decision'

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Qatar's Foreign Minister said that Qatar's decision to buy weapons is a "sovereign" one and the country would take all measures to defend itself, local media reported on Wednesday.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has vehemently dismissed Saudi Arabia's military threats after Qatar announced a plan to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.

"The purchase of any military equipment is a sovereign decision that no country has anything to do with it," Al-Thani told Al-Jazeera.

Mohammed Al Thani also said that Riyadh's threats are violating the "international law and all the international norms," adding that Qatar would "respond legally" once the French side confirms Saudi's threats.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron received a letter from Saudi King Salman who expressed his grave concerns over the deal of purchasing advanced anti-aircraft weapon system between Doha and Moscow.

According to the French media, King Salman asked France to increase its pressure on Qatar's government to stop the Doha's acquisition of the mobile surface-to-air missile system which would threaten Saudi security interests.

Qatar, the gas-rich nation, is seeking to expand its military relations with many countries massively and signed several deals on buying advanced weapons, particularly, after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic, commercial and transport links with Qatar on June 5, 2017.

According to Speaker of Advisory Council of Qatar, Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, the armed deals included the 5 billion euros (5.91 billion U.S. dollars) agreement with Italy for seven navy vessels, the deal to buy 12 French-built Rafale fighter jets with an option to purchase a further 36 aircraft, in addition to a deal worth 8 billion U.S. dollars to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain. 


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