The non-resident ambassador of Qatar has presented his credentials to the president of Fiji, a day after five Arab states severed ties with the Middle Eastern nation.
Qatar is accused of supporting terrorism, which its government denies.
The ambassador, Naseer Bin Hamad Mubarak Al Khalifa, was welcomed by president Jioji Konusi Konrote at State House in Suva on Tuesday after inspecting a 25-member guard of honour formed by Fijian military personnel.
Qatar ambassador Naseer Bin Hamad Mubarak Al Khalifa and Fiji president Jioji Konusi Konrote. Photo: Supplied
Mr Al Khalifa, who previously served as Qatar's ambassador to the United Nations, the United Kingdom and the United States is based in Canberra, Australia.
In 2014, it was reported that Qatar paid $US20 million for the release of 45 Fijian peacekeepers, who were captured in the Golan Heights by al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra militants.
Earlier this year, Fiji consulted Qatar about becoming a Middle Eastern safe haven for Fijian soldiers on peacekeeping missions if tension in the region was to escalate.
Ambassador Al Khalifa inspects a Fiji guard of honour. Photo: Supplied
