Madar (International) - Turkey and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement in Istanbul on Friday, 13 November 2026, after a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Al Jazeera English reported, citing AFP and Reuters.
The two governments signed several other agreements, including a memorandum of understanding "on cooperation in the field of peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution". The terms of the defence pact were not disclosed.
According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan pledged continued cooperation to "prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region" and to build a basis for dialogue and peace. His office said the agreement would "add a new dimension to relations between Turkiye and Qatar".
The Emir described the deal as a "strategic partnership" and wrote on X that the two leaders discussed ways "to build on what has been achieved and identify priorities for joint action in the coming period".
Turkey already has troops in Qatar. In August, Ankara signed a regional defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia committing each to aid the others if attacked, which the Turkish parliament ratified last week. In October, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a multilateral defence cooperation memorandum in Doha known as "Badr".
