Erdoğan and Sheikh Tamim Sign Joint Defense Agreement in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim signed a joint defense agreement in Istanbul, according to what Qatari press reported about the twelfth meeting of the Supreme Strategic Committee between the two countries.

Peninsula newspaper carried the news under the headline "Qatar's Emir and Turkey's President sign a joint defense agreement," and said the two leaders met in Istanbul. It added that the agreement, which aims to strengthen military cooperation, was accompanied by the signing of cooperation documents on consumer protection, market monitoring, education, peacebuilding, reconciliation and dispute settlement.

The newspaper published the joint statement issued by the twelfth meeting of the committee, in which it referred to the two countries' will to take a joint stance in the face of any external armed attack and to strengthen regional security.

An Al Jazeera analysis addressed that the agreement was signed at a time when the fallout of the war between the United States and Iran continues, and that Middle Eastern states are turning toward new defense partnerships through which they seek to raise military deterrence and reduce dependence on external powers. Professor of international relations at Qatar University Abdullah Al-Otaibi said that the possibility of renewed military escalation in the region is pushing states to strengthen their defense capabilities. Middle East expert Mahjoob Zweiri considered that the agreement reflects a high level of mutual trust between Doha and Ankara, and that joint production in the defense industry shows relations moving to a further stage. The analysis held that Turkey's military and technical capabilities and Qatar's economic and diplomatic potential complement one another.

As for Al-Sharq newspaper, it published a file prepared by the Qatar News Agency (QNA) under the title "The Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee: A New Turning Point in the Path of Partnership and Coordination between the Two Countries," and affirmed that the committee, which was established in 2014, forms the institutional foundation for political, economic and security cooperation. It said that relations between Doha and Ankara have not remained confined to political coordination, but have extended to the defense industry, technology, the economy, investment and diplomatic mediation, and that current regional and international circumstances make close coordination between them more important than ever.

Al Jazeera reported the details of the joint statement, including the two countries' decision to continue coordination to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and rebuild the Strip, and their joint call to resolve the differences between Washington and Tehran through diplomatic means, to restore secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and to respect the sovereignty of the region's states. Qatari press also reported the two leaders' messages regarding diversifying the partnership in the energy field and developing trade relations.

The published reports did not include the text of the agreement or its time frame; what was announced was the signing in Istanbul, and the joint stance toward any external armed attack that the joint statement carried.