Qatar and Türkiye signed a mutual defense agreement in Istanbul on Friday, pledging a unified stance against any external armed attack on either country as tensions persist across the Gulf region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed the accord at Dolmabahçe Palace during the 12th meeting of the two countries' Supreme Strategic Committee. The Emir traveled to Istanbul after attending the COP31 climate summit in southern Türkiye.
According to a joint statement, the two sides agreed to consult on threats to their security, regional and global security issues, and defense policies. They also agreed to broaden cooperation through joint military exercises, defense industry projects and exchanges to train personnel.
Erdoğan's office said the agreement would add a new dimension to relations between the two countries. Sheikh Tamim called the deal a strategic partnership and wrote on X that he had discussed ways to build on what has been achieved and to set priorities for joint action in the coming period.
The Turkish presidency said Erdoğan told the Emir the two countries would keep working to prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region and to build a basis for dialogue and peace. The joint statement also said both sides were ready to pursue energy cooperation, particularly in liquefied natural gas trade, and that cooperation in the defense industry would continue to grow.
Erdoğan also noted that a trade and economic partnership agreement that took effect last year had brought the two countries closer to their bilateral trade volume target.
The text of the defense agreement has not been released, and its exact operating provisions have not been made public. It was one of five agreements signed at the meeting, which also covered education, consumer protection and market surveillance, along with a memorandum on cooperation in peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution signed by the two foreign ministers.
The deal builds on a long military relationship. Türkiye has kept troops in Qatar for more than a decade, and the two countries formalized defense cooperation in an agreement signed in December 2014.
It also follows other regional defense arrangements. In August, Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a pact under which the three countries would come to each other's aid if one of them were attacked. In October, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Türkiye signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation in Doha.
