Qatar’s Lekhwiya landed in Paris on July 12 to help maintain security at the sporting event following extensive experience in securing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha.
Qatar and France have discussed security cooperation between law enforcement institutions in both countries, as the Gulf state’s forces continue their mission in securing the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The meeting took place in Paris on Monday between Qatar’s Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his French counterpart Gerald Darmanin.
In a post on X, Sheikh Khalifa, who is also the Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), said both sides spoke about “a number of practical topics, most notably the tasks of the Qatari duty force participating in securing the Paris Olympics”.
“We also discussed ways to sustain security cooperation between law enforcement institutions in the two friendly countries,” Sheikh Khalifa added.
Darmanin separately said on his X page that Qatar and France share “great” security cooperation.
“Glad to have received my counterpart from Qatar this morning. Our security cooperation is great. The organisation of major events such as the World Cup or the 2024 Olympic Games are the best examples of this!” he said.
Qatar’s Lekhwiya landed in Paris on July 12 to help maintain security at the sporting event following extensive experience in securing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha.
At the time of the major sporting event, France sent about 220 security personnel to Qatar to ensure the safety of over one million fans as well as French nationals.
The European country is among Qatar’s top military suppliers, with both countries holding a number of defence agreements that cover expertise transfer and joint military training. In 1994, Qatar and France signed a defence agreement to purchase several Mirage 2000-5 aircraft.
The two countries previously inked a deal in 2017 to purchase 12 French-built Rafale fighter jets under a $1.3bn order. For years, France has been providing Qatar’s navy with electronic support for its warships through French aerospace company, Thales.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) report in 2023, France is among the five largest arms exporters. Qatar is also one of the world’s five largest arms importers.
Around 193 Rafale combat aircrafts were on order for export at the end of 2023 for states outside Europe, including Qatar, Egypt, India, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
