Turkey and Qatar sign a mutual defence pact, but nobody will say what it commits them to
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, signed a mutual defence agreement in Istanbul on Friday. Its terms have not been published. It is Turkey's second Gulf defence pact this year, as Ankara positions itself as a security partner for Gulf states shaken by the Iran war.
Live updates
- 12.50am AWSTLatest
The defence agreement's text has still not been published. Erdogan says it adds "another dimension" to ties with Qatar.
- About 11.30pm AWST
The Turkish presidency announces that Turkey and Qatar have signed a mutual defence agreement in Istanbul.
This page checks for new updates automatically.
Three things to know
- The two leaders signed the defence agreement themselves, the only one of five documents signed on Friday that carried both heads of state's signatures, at the Dolmabahce presidential office.
- Neither government has released the text, so it is not known whether either country must come to the other's defence if attacked.
- In August Turkey signed a separate pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that treats an attack on one as an attack on all. Turkey's parliament ratified it last week.
Turkey and Qatar have signed a mutual defence agreement, the Turkish presidency announced on Friday, deepening a military partnership that already has Turkish troops based in the Gulf state.
Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim signed the agreement at the Dolmabahce presidential office in Istanbul, during the 12th meeting of the two countries’ high strategic committee. Ministers signed four other documents in the leaders’ presence, on consumer protection, education and conflict resolution, along with a joint communique.
The presidency did not release the defence agreement’s text. Erdogan said it would “add another dimension to our brotherhood”, and that defence industry cooperation between the two countries would keep growing.
What does Turkey say the pact is for?
In a statement on X, the presidency said Turkey and Qatar would keep working to prevent the war in the Gulf from flaring again and to build a basis for dialogue and peace. The leaders also discussed Gaza, Syria and Libya, and Erdogan said Turkey was working to broaden its energy partnership with Qatar, one of the world’s biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas.
Why does it matter now?
The Gulf remains on edge. On Friday Iran claimed it had destroyed a US radar in Bahrain, which the US military denied, saying it shot down two drones. Yemen’s Houthis have kept up drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Turkey is building a web of defence commitments around that conflict. In August it signed the Makkah joint defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, under which an attack on one is treated as an attack on all; Turkey’s parliament ratified it last week, which allows Ankara to send military support to Saudi Arabia.
Turkish forces have been in Qatar since the mid-2010s, under a defence cooperation agreement signed in 2014. Ankara reinforced its base near Doha after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in 2017.
What does it mean for Australia?
Gulf security sets the price of the fuel Australians buy, as the jump in petrol and diesel prices since the Iran war began has shown. Any pact that draws another military power into the region’s defence matters to oil, gas and shipping markets, and to Australians who live in the Gulf or fly through Doha.
VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.
How we got here
The key moments that brought this story into focus. Open any moment for detail.
2014First defence deal
Turkey and Qatar sign a defence cooperation agreement.
2017Gulf blockade
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar; Turkey reinforces its forces there.
August 2026Makkah pact
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan agree that an attack on one is an attack on all.
November 2026Ratification
Turkey's parliament ratifies the Makkah pact.
13 November 2026Istanbul signing
Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim sign a mutual defence agreement.
What happens next
Watch for whether the agreement goes to Turkey's parliament for ratification, as the Makkah pact did, for whether either government publishes its terms, and for any response from Iran and from Gulf neighbours.
Sources
- VNN
VNN never names people who give us information in confidence. How we protect sources and tips.
That is the story in a minute. For the evidence, context and what happens next, switch to the full story.
Comments
0 commentsCommunity rules
To read and join the conversation, please agree to our rules.
You have agreed to the community rules.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.