Tunisian Defense Minister Abdul Karim al-Zubeidi and Qatari Chief of Staff Hamad bin Ali General al-Attiyah signed two agreements on 20 November 2012 in Doha [1].

One of the two documents is a protocol relating to the detachment of Tunisian military personnel to the Qatari Armed Forces. The Emirate of Qatar (with approximately 320 000 subjects), which is not in a position to have an army commensurate with its ambitions, is boosting its forces by tapping into the armies of Arab countries. No information was released about the financial constituent of this transaction.

The Qatar Armed Forces are themselves coordinated with NATO, as was seen during the war in Libya.

[Photo : General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah and NATO Secretary-General.]

[1] "Qatar, Tunisia sign two key military pacts", Qatar News Agency; and "Tunisie-Qatar : signature d’un mémorandum de coopération militaire", Agence Tunis Afrique Presse, 20 November 2012.