Australia–Qatar relations

Australia–Qatar relations refer to bilateral relations between the Commonwealth of Australia and the state of Qatar.

Australia-Qatar relations

Australia
Qatar
Monthly value of Australian merchandise exports to Qatar (A$ millions) since 1988
Monthly value of Qatari merchandise exports to Australia (A$ millions) since 1988

In 2012, Qatar opened an embassy in Canberra, Australia and an Ambassador to Qatar and the UAE was appointed, the first time an Ambassador to Qatar has been appointed. There are 3,000 Australians in Qatar.[1][2] In 2016, Australia opened an embassy in Doha, Qatar.[3]

Investment

Up to 2017, Hassad Food, which is an investment arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, had invested more than $500 million to buy prime agricultural land in Australia, to own 3,000 square kilometres, with five properties in New South Wales, one in Victoria, one in Queensland, three in South Australia and three in Western Australia. The company is proposing to invest another $500 million in Australia. Senator Bernardi has said, "We can have a debate and a discussion about the wisdom of foreign ownership of some of our strategic assets, but I do not know how anyone can justify a government that is recognised by its peers and our allies as the funder of terrorism owning such resources in our own country".[4][5]

2020 airport incident

On 2 October 2020, thirteen Australian female passengers aboard a Qatar Airways flight to Sydney from Hamad International Airport in Doha were forced to deplane before takeoff, and were subsequently strip searched and "subjected to an invasive internal examination" against their will. This was alleged prompted by the discovery of a newborn baby in an airport bathroom.[6] This evolved into a diplomatic incident between Australia and Qatar with Australian foreign minister Marise Payne stating "the treatment of the women concerned was offensive, grossly inappropriate, and beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent".[7]

Following adverse media coverage, on 28 October the Qatari government issued a statement of regret and promised a "comprehensive, transparent investigation".[8]

As of July 2019 Qatar Airways, the flag carrier airline of Qatar has services to and from Hamad International Airport in Doha to five Australian cities.

See also

References
  1. Peter Townson (6 May 2012). "Australian envoy sees ties growing stronger". Gulf Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012.
  2. Joseph Vargese. "Qatar to open embassy in Australia this year: Envoy". Qatar Tribune. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  3. Embassy of Australia in Doha
  4. Bernardi, Senator (14 June 2017). "Statement by Senator - Qatar". Senate, Australian Parliament House. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  5. Neales, Sue (23 July 2017). "Besieged Qatar's $500m food store". The Australian. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  6. Albeck-Ripka, Livia; Zhuang, Yan (26 October 2020). "Women on Qatar Airways Flight Strip-Searched, Sparking Outrage in Australia". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  7. Women on flight from Qatar to Australia reportedly internally examined on tarmac after premature baby found in Doha airport bathroom
  8. "Qatar's airport strip-searching incident shocked Australia. Here's what we know". ABC News. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.