Qatar inks deal to buy seven navy ships from Italy for a mammoth €5bn

Qatar, which has been undergoing an illegal siege at the hands of neighbouring GCC and Arab countries, is taking bold steps to enhance its national security.

After recently inking a $12bn deal with the USA for buying F15 fighter jets, the country has gone ahead and put pen to paper on a €5bn deal with Italy to buy seven naval vessels, reported Gulf Times.

Qatar’s foreign minister HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano announced the deal at a Press conference in Doha yesterday.

“We’ve strong political and economic relations with Italy and important co-operation in the defence and security fields along with continued political consultation between the two countries,” said Sheikh Mohamed.

“I’m pleased to announce the conclusion of a deal between the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces to buy seven naval units from Italy in the context of the joint military cooperation between the two countries,” Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying by The Peninsula.

However, he did not give any further details about the companies involved in the deal.

In June 2016, Italy’s state-controlled shipbuilder Fincantieri had said it signed a €4bn agreement to build ships for Qatar. It had said that it would also supply Qatar with four corvette warships, two support vessels and an amphibious landing platform dock, along with support services in Qatar for 15 years after delivery.