Turkey and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday, 13 November 2026, the office of President Tayyip Erdogan said, as Mr Erdogan met the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in Istanbul.
In a statement on X, the presidency said: “President Erdogan stated that we would continue working together to prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region and establish a basis for dialogue and achieve peace.” It did not provide details on the defence accord.
The statement said Turkey and Qatar were working to develop and diversify their energy partnership and that their cooperation in the defence industry would continue to grow.
Mr Erdogan said the Mutual Defence Agreement “would add another dimension to our brotherhood”.
The agreement follows a joint defence agreement signed in August in Mecca by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Turkey’s parliament ratified that 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 Iran-backed Houthi militants. Under that agreement, an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all.
Source: Reuters
