Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia signed the memorandum on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, with Yaşar Güler, Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hasan Al Sani, Khawaja Muhammed Asif and Yusuf Jauhari among the signatories.
According to the Turkish Defence Industry Secretariat, the goal goes beyond supplying systems to joint production, technology transfer, interoperability and integrated supply chains among the four countries.
Turkish arms exports rose 122% over the past five years, making Türkiye the eleventh largest arms seller globally, mainly to NATO partners.
With no concrete peace agreement between the United States and Iran, regional states are diversifying defence partners, though analyst Arda Mevlutoglu says this does not mean abandoning existing alliances.
Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding on defence industry cooperation in Doha on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The ceremony took place during a visit by the defence representatives of the four countries to the Qatari capital. The pact rests on defence projects that already link the four countries and is meant to raise multilateral cooperation to a new level. Türkiye's National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler attended the ceremony during his visit to Qatar, and Defence Industry President Haluk Görgün was present as well. Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence announced the agreement on X the same day. Qatar's deputy prime minister and state minister for defence affairs, Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hasan Al Sani, signed for Qatar, while Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Muhammed Asif and Indonesia's deputy defence minister Yusuf Jauhari completed the list of signatories.
Beyond the supply of military systems among the four countries, the ultimate aim is joint production, technology transfer, interoperability and the integration of supply chains, according to the Turkish Defence Industry Secretariat. The pact is also intended to multiply military exports among the four countries. The Qatari Defence Ministry described the Badr Memorandum of Understanding as a framework for defence manufacturing cooperation, enhanced capabilities, technical defence training, and research and development. The Turkish ministry's communique adds that the agreement will also back military exercises and training programmes. Analyst Arda Mevlutoglu, of Mergen Analytical Strategies, said each country would bring its own strengths: Türkiye technological expertise and systems integration, Pakistan and Indonesia manufacturing capacity, skilled workforces and large domestic markets, and Qatar investment potential and demand.
Al Jazeera links the deal to a wider regional shift. The United States and Iran have not reached a concrete peace agreement, which is pushing countries in the region to diversify their defence partnerships and rely less on Washington for their security. Analysts stress that closer cooperation does not mean abandoning long-standing alliances. The aim is greater control over their own security while strengthening existing partnerships. Mevlutoglu said the implications could extend well beyond the four participants.
“We may be witnessing the emergence of an interconnected network of defence and security arrangements extending from the Gulf to South and Southeast Asia, rather than a single formal alliance”
BBC Türkçe reports that Türkiye has been helping Gulf countries, Qatar among them, strengthen their defence capabilities after the Iran war, and Türkiye already maintains a military base in Qatar.
Turkish arms exports have risen 122% over the past five years, making Türkiye the eleventh largest arms seller in the world. Most of those sales go to NATO partners. Türkiye is the largest industrial power among the four signatories, which gives Ankara a central role in the pact. Türkiye also has close defence industry ties with Indonesia, which signed a contract in 2025 to buy 48 KAAN fighters, Türkiye's national combat aircraft. The Doha memorandum builds on these existing relationships rather than creating new commitments from scratch.
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The memorandum covers joint production, technology transfer and integrated defence supply chains. It was signed in Doha on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, during a visit by the defence representatives of the four countries.
AI text based on reports by Al Jazeera Online, La Razón, europa press and other publishers. Published .