Alwaght- Qatar is interested in acquiring Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 Triumf, Qatar's Ambassador to Russia Fahad bin Mohammed al-Attiyah said, reiterating that negotiations are in advanced stages,
"The answer is yes, we are already in advanced negotiations," the Qatari diplomat said in an interview with TASS news agency, specifying that the negotiations are indeed about "air defense systems and capabilities for our land forces as well."
The Ambassador recalled that during the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Doha (October last year) an agreement on military-technical cooperation was signed. "This paves the way for cooperation between Russia and Qatar in defense, in sales of military hardware, training of officers and soldiers, maintenance, and of course intelligence cooperation," he said, adding that Qatar will have a military attaché in Russia and vice versa "very soon".
The planned acquisition of the advanced Russian missile defense systems comes amid simmering Persian Gulf tensions between Qatar and Saudi-led regimes.
Last summer, Saudi Arabia -- along with UAE, Egypt and Bahrain -- abruptly severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.
Qatar, for its part, vehemently denies the allegations, describing attempts to isolate it by its fellow Arab states as a violation of international law.
On June 22, the block, issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.
Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to violate its sovereignty.