ISTANBUL (AFP/Reuters) - 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.
The two countries would continue working together “to prevent a renewed outbreak of war in the Gulf region and to promote dialogue and peace”, he said.
The leaders also 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.
In August, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Makkah, bringing together the Sunni Muslim US allies at a time of conflict across the region.
Turkiye’s parliament ratified the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement last week, clearing the way for Ankara to send military support to Saudi Arabia, which has been struggling to fend off attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
Under the agreement, signed by the three regional powers in August, an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all.