Qatar, UK navies conduct joint drills in Arabian Gulf

By Ahmed Yusuf

DOHA

The Qatari Navy on Thursday took part in joint naval drills with the British Royal Navy in Qatari territorial waters, Qatar’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The drills were conducted within the framework of “longstanding defense cooperation between the two friendly countries with a view to supporting efforts to combat terrorism, piracy and smuggling and to maintain regional security”, the statement read.

Last December, Qatar and the U.K. signed an agreement for the purchase by Qatar of 24 British-made Typhoon warplanes.

During 2017, the two countries conducted four separate joint military exercises, the last of which -- "APEC Sky" -- took place last November at Qatar’s Al-Udeid Airbase.