Qatar borrowed money from Japanese banks to help it make a down payment on an order of 24 Rafale fighter jets, a transaction that illustrates the close economic ties between the two countries, according to Defense News.

The military purchase from France, believed to be worth around €6.3 billion (QR25.7 billion), comes as Qatar grapples with its first budget deficit in 15 years. Japan is one of the largest buyers of LNG from Qatar, which has awarded several large construction contracts to heavy infrastructure firms from the east Asian country.