DOHA: Qatar on Sunday condemned Belgium’s corruption probe and the suspension of its access to the European parliament, maintaining it could “negatively” impact natural gas supplies and relations.
A Qatari diplomat, in a statement, singled out Belgian authorities for criticism and argued that “inaccurate” information had been used in the probe.
A Greek MEP, Eva Kaili, is one of six people arrested after raids that revealed at least $1.6 million (1.5 million euros) in cash.
The money was allegedly associated with a Gulf state, and the European Parliament last week suspended access of Qatar to the institution.
European Parliament’s decision to limit cooperation
“The decision of imposing such a discriminatory restriction that limits cooperation and dialogue on Qatar before the legal process has been completed will adversely affect global and regional security cooperation and the ongoing discussions around global energy, security, and poverty,” said the Qatari diplomat.
“We strongly reject the allegations linking our government with misconduct,” the Qatari diplomat maintained in a statement.
“Qatar was not the only party identified in the probe, yet our country has been exclusively attacked and criticized.”
“Qatar has observed this week’s selective condemnation with great alarm,” the diplomat said.
European Parliament corruption
Belgian prosecutors said they had been probing European parliament corruption for over a year before the raids and arrests of the past ten days.
“It is deeply disappointing that the government of Belgium made no effort to hold talks with our government to establish the relevant facts once they became aware of the accusations,” the diplomat said.
The diplomat’s statement highlighted the “close” ties with Belgium.
“Our governments cooperated during the coronavirus pandemic, and Qatar is a crucial supplier of LNG to Belgium,” it emphasized. – AFP
