(National-UAE) Italy has ratified an agreement with Qatar that will give the Gulf country an official platform to fund organisations and build mosques, a move that has bitterly divided politicians in Rome.
Warnings that ratification of the accord would let Doha use its resources to extend its influence in Italy, and that of its allies in the Muslim Brotherhood, have raised concerns about the deal.
Italy was in the depths of a financial crisis when it signed the last accord with Qatar in 2012 and it has not escaped attention that the government of Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, has pushed forward the current pact as the economy faces collapse amid the coronavirus pandemic.
