Qatar, Russia sign military deal in spite of rivalries

On Tuesday, Qatar and Russia signed an agreement for military cooperation, according to the Qatar News Agency reported.

The deal resulted from a meeting between Qatari Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah and Sergey Shoigu the Russian Minister, at a military forum in Kubinka, West of Moscow

According to the Qatari News agency: “Ways of supporting and promoting military cooperation relations between Doha and Moscow were discussed during the meeting between the two ministers in Russia”.

Qatar has long-standing political and military ties to the US including serving as the base for the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

Qatar and Russia are both heavily involved in the on-going civil war in Syria, with Qatar supporting some aspects of the opposition and Russia taking a hard line in favour of the regime.