Global Politicsupdated 14m ago3 min read
Archive photoErdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Sign Mutual Defense Agreement in Istanbul
13 West Asian2 Israeli2 Western Alternative4 Other source typesPhoto: Onceinawhile, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Turkey and Qatar sign a mutual defense agreement during Erdogan-Tamim meeting in Istanbul. The pact was part of five agreements, aiming to prevent Gulf war resumption.
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Mutual defence in Istanbul
Turkey and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement in Istanbul after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Friday. The Turkish presidency said on X that Erdogan would continue working together with Qatar “to prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region and establish a basis for dialogue and achieve peace,” and it added that the agreement would “add a new dimension to relations between Turkiye and Qatar.” The Turkish presidency did not provide details of the defence accord, and the Qatari side framed the meeting as part of the 12th session of the High Strategic Committee at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
The meeting also discussed defense, trade, investment, energy, and education, and it included the presence of Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. A security analyst, Yusuf Alabarda, told Al Jazeera that Gulf countries, “but especially Qatar, understood that their security guarantees from the United States are not working properly.”
Five agreements, no text
The leaders concluded five agreements in Istanbul, with the joint defense agreement signed by Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani alongside memoranda on peace, reconciliation, and conflict resolution and cooperation in education. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani signed the joint statement for the 12th meeting of the Strategic Committee, and the agreements also included consumer protection and market surveillance and inspection. Authorities had not yet disclosed the detailed provisions of the new defense agreement or the nature of the military commitments it entails, and it described the signing as taking place during the 12th meeting of the High Strategic Committee at the Presidential Office in the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
Erdogan told the Turkish presidency readout that the agreement “will add a new dimension to the relations between Ankara and Doha,” and the Turkish presidency said Erdogan stressed that cooperation in defense industries would continue to grow. Al Jazeera Net said the talks addressed developments in Gaza and discussed ways to contain escalation in the sector within the framework of coordinating positions on regional and international issues.
Regional security and energy
The Turkish presidency statement on X linked the defence agreement to energy partnership, saying Erdogan and Qatar were working to develop and diversify their energy partnership and that cooperation in the defence industry would continue to grow. Al-Monitor, citing Reuters, said the Turkish leader met Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Istanbul and that the statement did not provide details on the defence accord, while it emphasized the presidency’s framing of dialogue and peace. Al-Sahifa said the mutual defense pact came without disclosure of provisions or implementation mechanisms, and it described the meeting as taking place during the 12th session of the Qatar-Turkey High Strategic Committee established in 2014.
Erdogan and Al Thani discussed regional and global developments and Erdogan emphasized the mutual defense agreement would add “a new dimension to their fraternal bond.” Yusuf Alabarda warned that since the start of the Iran war, countries in the region “are feeling the effects of the war and no one is feeling secure,” tying the agreement to perceived gaps in Gulf security guarantees.
