Qatar and Turkiye sign a mutual defence pact: What do we know?

详细摘要

Analysts say the pact, agreed amid the US-Iran war, aims to deter attacks rather than build an offensive alliance.

Qatar and Turkiye have welcomed a new mutual defence agreement that commits them to a common position against any external armed attack on either country.

The pact followed Friday’s high-level meeting of the Turkiye-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee in Istanbul, chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

It comes as the region deals with the fallout of the United States-Israeli war on Iran and disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

So what is in the agreement, and why does it matter now? Here’s what you need to know:

According to a joint communique, the deal aims to strengthen collective defence, promote regional security and establish a common position against external armed attacks targeting either or both countries.

It reflects “not only the commitment of its signatories to safeguarding their sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also their shared vision of contributing to a more secure and stable regional order”, the statement said.

The two countries agreed to consult one another on security threats and defence policy. They also agreed to expand joint military exercises, defence industry collaboration and personnel training exchanges.

The communique, as reported, did not set out what could trigger the agreement or what form a joint response would take.

Other agreements reached at the meeting covered education, consumer protection, and peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution, Qatar’s Al Raya newspaper said in an editorial on Saturday.

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