Amid heightened security situations in the Gulf region, Qatar and Türkiye signed a mutual defence agreement following a meeting between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Istanbul on Friday, November 13. The two leaders discussed regional developments promote dialogue and establish peace in the Gulf region.
During the meeting, President Erdoğan stated that the Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Türkiye and Qatar today would add a new dimension to the brotherly ties between the two countries, noting that the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, which entered into force last year, had brought the two countries closer to achieving the bilateral trade volume target, Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications in a post on X stated.
President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye and Qatar would continue their joint efforts to prevent the resumption of hostilities in the Gulf region, pave the way for dialogue and establish peace, emphasising the importance of encouraging the parties involved to resolve their differences through diplomatic means, it added.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim in a post on X said, “The strategic partnership between Qatar and Türkiye continues to develop across various fields, as reflected in today’s meeting of the 12th session of the Supreme Strategic Committee between our two countries, which I co-chaired in Istanbul with my brother President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We discussed ways to build on what has been achieved and identify priorities for joint action in the coming period.”
What is mutual defence agreement?
As pet the mutual defence pact, both the countries will take a unified stance in confronting any external armed attack targeting either party or both of them. The two countries reaffirmed that the agreement reflects not only the commitment of its signatories to safeguarding their sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also their shared vision of contributing to a more secure and stable regional order.
Both the countries agreed to consult on, threats to their security as well as regional and global security issues and defense policies, and to enhance cooperation through joint military exercises, defense industry cooperation and personnel training exchanges.
The two sides commended the signing of the Badr Memorandum by Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia as an important step towards enhancing their collective capacity to meet defense requirements through the development of indigenous capabilities. They noted that the Memorandum will pave the way for closer cooperation in the fields of joint production, technology development, exchange of information and expertise, as well as the strengthening of defense industrial infrastructure and supply chains
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan already signed a strategic mutual defence agreement in September last year which is similar to that of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Under the agreement, the attack on one would be considered as “an aggression against both”.
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