Qatar warns EU corruption investigation may harm relations

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Qatar on Sunday renewed its denial of involvement in any corruption case involving people linked to the European Parliament, saying a Belgian investigation threatens to harm relations.

Four people were arrested by Belgian authorities as part of an investigation into allegations that Doha lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making.

The Belgian investigation has caused to suspend of Qatar’s access to the European Parliament, including visa liberalization, an EU-Qatar aviation agreement, and planned visits.

In a statement, Qatar warned that the investigation and suspension of its access to the EU parliament will negatively impact relations and gas supplies.

"The decision to impose such a discriminatory restriction that limits dialogue and cooperation on Qatar before the legal process has ended, will negatively affect regional and global security cooperation, as well as ongoing discussions around global energy poverty and security," said a statement by a diplomat from Qatar’s mission to the EU.

"We firmly reject the allegations associating our government with misconduct," the statement added.

The Qatari diplomat also criticized the Belgian authorities, saying they used inaccurate information during the investigation.

"Qatar was not the only party named in the investigation, yet our country has been exclusively criticized and attacked,” the statement said. "We have observed this week's selective condemnation of our country with great alarm.”

Last week, the Qatari Foreign Ministry rejected any attempt to associate it with the corruption case.

Qatar has been under European fire since it was awarded the FIFA World Cup 2022 amid accusations of mistreatment of migrant workers and poor human rights records.