ANKARA: Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Indonesia on Wednesday signed a new agreement aimed at expanding defence cooperation and strengthening their defensive capabilities, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced.
According to the ministry, the four countries signed the “Badr Memorandum of Understanding” in Doha, reflecting their shared wish to deepen cooperation and build stronger partnerships. Badr is an Arabic word meaning the full moon, a symbol of brightness and completeness.
The ministry described the agreement as economically significant. It said the accord would promote cooperation in military production, raise military capabilities and support joint work in technical military training, research and development.
The statement added that the initiative would draw on the distinct defence production strengths of each country. In doing so, it would encourage integration, expand defence industrial capacity and help meet the requirements of allied and friendly nations.
Turkiye, which maintains NATO’s second-largest army and a strong defence industry, has been assisting Gulf states in strengthening their defences. These include Qatar, where Ankara operates a military base.
In August, Turkiye signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, under which an attack on any one party is treated as an attack on all. Ankara also enjoys close relations with Indonesia, particularly in the field of defence industry.
The ministry said the Badr accord would tighten links among the defence industries of the four countries and boost collaboration to promote security and achieve common objectives.
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