DOHA, October 21 (Aalimi Nation) – Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a multilateral defence industry agreement in Doha on Wednesday, committing to joint production, technical training and research cooperation.
The pact, called the Badr Memorandum of Understanding, was signed by the defence ministries of the four countries, along with Turkiye's Presidency of Defence Industries and Pakistan's defence production organisation, officials said.
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Indonesia's Deputy Defence Minister Yusuf Jauhari attended the ceremony. Haluk Gorgun, who heads Turkiye's defence industries agency, was also present.
What the agreement covers
According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, the memorandum aims to strengthen the defence capabilities of the four countries and support cooperation in manufacturing, military exercises, technical training, and research and development. The ministry said the arrangement is meant to build industrial capacity and integration, and to help meet the needs of allied and friendly nations.
Qatar's Defence Ministry said the agreement is intended to foster cooperation in defence manufacturing. The signatories said other friendly countries may join later, under criteria to be agreed by the four.
Gorgun described the memorandum as a foundation for "strategic cooperation" in joint production and technology. He stressed technology sharing and joint development rather than simply buying equipment off the shelf, and said the arrangement would turn the partners' complementary strengths into concrete projects.
The name Badr, officials said, refers to the full moon and reflects how the four countries complement one another.
The agreement builds on projects already under way. Turkish-made drones and armoured vehicles serve with Qatar's armed forces, and a Qatari state-owned defence firm has agreements with Turkish companies, including a joint venture producing remote-controlled weapon systems in Qatar. Pakistan and Turkiye are working on a four-ship corvette programme, with two vessels built in Istanbul and two at Karachi Shipyard. Indonesia has agreed to buy a Turkish fighter jet and is co-developing a medium tank and an armoured personnel carrier with Turkish partners.
The signing comes as Gulf and Muslim-majority states weigh their defence options during the war involving Iran, and after recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Analysts quoted in coverage of the deal said it creates an industrial network rather than a military alliance. Mevlutoglu, a Turkish defence analyst, said Qatar is unlikely to abandon its US relationship, and that Turkiye is seeking technological independence within NATO.
The Doha memorandum is separate from the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement that Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed in August, which contains a mutual-defence clause. The Badr memorandum does not include a mutual defence pledge, analysts noted. Turkiye's government submitted the Mecca agreement to parliament for ratification on Wednesday.
No production timelines, funding figures or specific projects under the Badr framework have been announced. Reports citing unnamed sources say Turkiye may host joint production facilities and that Qatar would contribute funding and technology, but officials have not confirmed this. Whether additional countries join, and which projects are announced first, will show how far the grouping goes beyond Wednesday's signing.
