Qatar attends naval base opening in Egypt
A Qatari delegation has attended the inauguration of a naval base on Egypt’s western coast near the Libyan border, in the latest sign of improving ties between Cairo and Doha.
CAIRO — For the first time in years, Qatar took part July 3 in the inauguration of an Egyptian naval base in the Gargoub area, on the Egyptian northwestern Mediterranean coast near the border with Libya.
The ceremony was also attended by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Mohammed al-Menfi, head of Libya’s ruling Presidential Council.
The Qatari participation is a harbinger of the first Egyptian-Qatari consensus over the Libyan crisis — following a disagreement that dragged for more than eight years over this dossier — and of better bilateral relations since the Gulf reconciliation.
Commander of the Qatar Emiri Naval Force Maj. Gen. Abdullah bin Hassan al-Sulaiti represented Qatar at the inauguration ceremony.
