• Analysis
Turkey and Qatar Sign Mutual Defence Pact Pledging Unified Response to Attacks
Turkey and Qatar signed a Turkey-Qatar defence pact in Istanbul on Friday, pledging a unified stance against any external armed attack on either country. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the agreement during a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
What the agreement commits both countries to
Under the mutual defence agreement, the two countries undertake a unified stance against any external armed attack targeting either of them. The accord is aimed at strengthening collective defence and promoting regional security.
The joint statement set out how the partnership will work:
- •The sides will consult on threats to their security, as well as regional and global security issues and defence policies.
- •Cooperation will expand through joint military exercises.
- •Defence-industry cooperation and personnel training exchanges are also part of the framework.
Signed in Istanbul after the Supreme Strategic Committee
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the accord during a meeting in Istanbul with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The emir travelled to Istanbul after attending the United Nations COP31 climate summit in southern Turkey.
The signing followed the 12th session of the two countries' Supreme Strategic Committee, which the joint statement said reflected their commitment to sovereignty, territorial integrity and a more secure regional order.
Erdogan on preventing war in the Gulf
"We would continue working together to prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region and establish a basis for dialogue and achieve peace."
The Turkish presidency attributed those words to Erdogan in a post on X.
Energy ties and the wider defence web
Turkey and Qatar also expressed readiness to pursue energy cooperation, particularly in liquefied natural gas trade, building on their long-standing relationship. The Turkish presidency said the two countries were working to develop and diversify their energy partnership and that their cooperation in the defence industry would continue to grow.
The pact sits within a wider set of Turkish defence commitments:
- •In August, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca, uniting the Sunni Muslim US allies amid regional conflict. The Turkish parliament ratified the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last week.
- •That pact brings together three powers: NATO member Turkey, holder of the alliance's second-largest armed forces; Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed state in the Muslim world; and Saudi Arabia, the Gulf's leading power. Under it, an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all.
- •Its ratification allows Ankara to provide military backing to Saudi Arabia, which has come under attack from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi fighters.
- •Turkey has said the Mecca agreement is not aimed at any other country and remains open to other states, including Egypt.
The agreement followed the 12th session of the Supreme Strategic Committee, and under the separately ratified Mecca pact Turkey says it remains open to other states joining, including Egypt.
