On Friday, Turkey and Qatar inked a mutual defence accord in which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed the accord would boost the strong relations between the two regional partners.
The meeting took place between Erdogan and the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Istanbul and the agreement was announced. After participating in the COP31 climate summit in the Turkish city in the south of the country, the Qatari ruler went there.
The recently signed defence agreement will bring a new dimension to “longstanding links” between Turkey and Qatar, Erdogan’s office said in its statement. But no specific terms or provisions or scope of the agreement was immediately made public.
Erdogan also said that the two countries would work towards expanding their cooperation in the defence industry, further strengthening their strategic partnership.
In their talks, the two leaders also discussed regional security issues. In a meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Turkey and Qatar would work against a return to war in the Gulf region and in favour of dialogue and peace, said Erdogan.
The meeting also addressed several key developments in the region, such as the situation in Gaza and the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory as a result of Israel’s military operations in the area.
Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim also spoke about steps towards normalisation in Libya and political and security updates in the country.
Turkey and Qatar have had longstanding close political, economic and defence relations. With the current accord, they should be further strengthening their strategic cooperation on major security and foreign affairs issues in the region.