Qatar and Türkiye signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday as Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul for talks on bilateral relations and regional developments. The accord was signed during the 12th session of the Qatar–Türkiye Supreme Strategic Committee, co-chaired by the two leaders at the Presidential Dolmabahçe Office.

Following the meeting, Erdoğan said the two countries would continue working together to prevent a resurgence of war in the Gulf region, establish a basis for dialogue and achieve peace. The Turkish presidency said in a statement on X that the agreement would add another dimension to the brotherhood between the two countries. Erdoğan also stressed the importance of persuading parties in the region to resolve their differences through diplomacy.S1S2

Erdoğan said Türkiye was working to develop and diversify its energy partnership with Qatar, while cooperation in the defence industry would continue to grow. He noted that the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, which came into force last year, had brought the two countries closer to their target for bilateral trade. In a post on X, Sheikh Tamim said the strategic partnership continues to develop across various fields and that the two sides had discussed ways to build on their achievements and identify priorities for joint action in the coming period.S1

Security analyst Yusuf Alabarda, speaking to Al Jazeera, said that since the start of the Iran war, countries in the region are feeling its effects and no one feels secure. He argued that Gulf states, especially Qatar, have come to understand that their security guarantees from the United States are not working properly, and that Turkish troops already in Qatar are important. Alabarda said that in the near term Turkish weapons and air defences might be deployed to Qatar, and that the agreement would help move forward these military deals. No further details of the defence accord were provided.S2