Arabic version: قطر وتركيا توقعان اتفاق دفاع مشترك

According to Al Jazeera, Qatar and Turkiye have signed a mutual defence agreement committing them to a common position against any external armed attack on either country. The pact followed a November 13 meeting in Istanbul of the Turkiye-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee, chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

A joint communique said the agreement is intended to strengthen collective defence, promote regional security and protect the countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity. Qatar and Turkiye agreed to consult each other on security threats and defence policy, while expanding joint military exercises, defence-industry cooperation and personnel training exchanges. The communique did not specify what would trigger the pact or how a joint response would be carried out.

The agreement was reached as the region faces the repercussions of the United States-Israeli war on Iran and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Ankara and Doha said the war and its regional effects should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and called for the swift, full resumption of safe, secure and unimpeded passage through the strait.

Abdulla Banndar Al-Etaibi of Qatar University told Al Jazeera the agreement was not intended as an offensive alliance against a particular country, but as a deterrent to potential aggression. The communique also welcomed the Badr memorandum signed by Turkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia, which focuses on indigenous capabilities including joint production, technology development, information sharing and stronger supply chains. Separately, the countries reiterated a goal of raising bilateral trade to $5bn and pledged closer energy cooperation, particularly on liquefied natural gas.