- Turkish president says pact to add new dimension to bilateral ties.
- Erdogan, Qatari emir discuss Iran war, Gaza and regional tensions.
- Both sides pledge efforts to prevent Gulf conflict and promote peace.
Turkiye and Qatar signed a defence agreement on Friday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said would further strengthen ties between the regional allies, his office said.
The announcement came after Erdogan met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Istanbul.
Qatar’s ruler travelled to Istanbul after attending the United Nations COP31 climate summit in southern Turkiye.
“A mutual defence agreement signed by Turkiye and Qatar today will add a new dimension to the brotherly ties between the two countries,” Erdogan said during the meeting, according to a statement from his office.
The statement gave no further details about the contents of the agreement.
Erdogan also said Turkiye and Qatar would expand cooperation in the defence industry.
In August, Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a regional defence pact under which the three countries would come to each other’s aid if one of them came under attack.
Ratified by the Turkish parliament last week, the pact links Nato member Turkiye, which has the alliance’s second-largest military, with Pakistan, the Muslim world’s only nuclear-armed state, and Saudi Arabia, the Gulf’s leading power.
Turkiye has said the agreement is not aimed at any other country and remains open to other states, including Egypt.
In October, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkiye signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation in Doha.
The agreement, known as “Badr”, aims to bolster cooperation between the participating countries.
Erdogan and the Qatari emir also discussed the Iran war.
Turkiye and Qatar would continue working together “to prevent a renewed outbreak of war in the Gulf region and to promote dialogue and peace”, Erdogan said.
The leaders discussed Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, efforts towards normalisation in Syria and the latest developments in Libya, the statement added.
