Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia on Wednesday signed a multilateral pact to promote cooperation in defence production and capabilities, the Turkish defence ministry said.
The Foreign Office has yet to comment on the signing of the defence pact.
According to the Turkish ministry, the signing took place in Qatar, with ministers of the four countries attending the ceremony. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was visible in pictures shared by the ministry, signed on behalf of Pakistan.
Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman, and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Yusuf Jauhari were the other signatories. Haluk Görgün, who heads Turkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries, was also present on the occasion.
Reuters quoted the Turkish ministry as saying that the pact, titled ‘Badr Memorandum of Understanding’, was aimed at defence cooperation and strengthening defensive capabilities.
The ministry said the accord would also support military exercises and training, cooperation on research and development, and contribute to joint efforts to improve the countries’ respective defence industries.
Meanwhile, Turkiye-based Anadolu Agency quoted the ministry as saying that the MoU would help develop solutions and industrial sectors aligned with advances in modern defence systems.
Pakistan has strong brotherly and historic ties with the three countries, with intense diplomatic engagement seen in recent months with Qatar and Turkiye particularly.
Pakistan and Turkiye, along with Saudi Arabia, are members of the Makkah Defence Alliance, under which they are to treat an attack against any of them as an attack against all.
Qatar had welcomed that pact as cooperation aimed at regional security and stability.
More to follow