Qatar and France Sign Letter of Intent, Cooperation Agreement

Doha, October 20 (QNA) - HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve attended the signing of a letter of intent between Qatari and French police and an agreement between the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) and the French National Gendarmerie . The letter of intent was signed by the Director General of Public Security Major General Saad bin Jassim Al-Khulaifi and Director General of the French National Police Jean Marc Falcone. The Cooperation Agreement was signed by Director of Lekhwiya Commander's Office Brigadier Fahd Rashid Al-Ali and the Director General of the French National Gendarmerie General Denis Favier. In a statement to reporters, Major General Al-Khulaifi said the letter of intent between the Qatari and French sides relates to the fields of training and exchange of information, pointing out that a memorandum of understanding and a security agreement have been in force between the two countries since 1986. He added that the letter of intent, signed today, will revitalize agreements concluded between the State of Qatar and the French Republic and will also organize training, coordination and consultation in security areas. The letter of intent was signed on the sidelines of 10th session of Milipol Qatar 2014 Exhibition which opened earlier in the day. Responding to a Qatar News Agency (QNA) question on the 10th session of Milipol Qatar 2014, the Director General of Public Security said the session is witnessing a remarkable presence and active participation at different levels, referring in this respect to the increase in the number of participating companies and states as well as the space allocated for the exhibition. He expected the next sessions of the exhibition to see great development and major expansion in terms of area and number of participants, especially after moving to the new exhibition hall hopefully in two years. For his part, Brigadier Al-Ali said cooperation, training and exchange of expertise between Lekhwiya and the French Gendarmerie existed since 2004, stressing that today's agreement will activate these areas. He explained that the agreement is a revitalization and renewal of the existing relationship, noting that it included other requirements pertaining to Lekhwiya.(QNA)