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Türkiye has approved a defense industry cooperation agreement with Brazil, according to a presidential decision published in the Official Gazette on Friday, completing the ratification process on the Turkish side more than four years after the pact was first signed.
The agreement, signed on March 25, 2022, was approved together with related diplomatic notes exchanged between the two countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the presidential decision on Thursday, and it was published in Friday's edition of the Official Gazette under Decision No. 11799.
The accord aims to strengthen cooperation between Türkiye and Brazil by developing both countries' defense industry capabilities through collaboration in the development, production, procurement and maintenance of defense goods and services, along with related technical and logistical support activities.
Its stated purpose, according to the treaty text, is to establish cooperation between the parties by improving their defense industry capabilities "through more effective cooperation in the fields of development, production, procurement, maintenance of defense products and services, and the improvement of relevant technical and logistic support."
The agreement outlines 15 specific areas of cooperation, including joint research, development, production and modernization of military equipment, exchange of scientific and technical information, sales of jointly produced goods to third parties by mutual agreement and cooperation between defense companies, research centers and maintenance facilities in both countries.
A Joint Commission, with up to seven representatives from each side, will oversee implementation, meeting alternately in Türkiye and Brazil to select joint projects and resolve disputes arising from the agreement's interpretation.
The pact runs for an initial five-year term with automatic one-year renewals unless either side gives 90 days' notice of termination.
The Turkish parliament approved the agreement on June 23, after which it was submitted to Erdogan for final approval.
Brazil had already completed its own domestic approval process, publishing the agreement in its official gazette on Sept. 10, 2025, following ratification by its parliament.
Turkish and Brazilian diplomats separately exchanged notes in November and December 2024 to correct discrepancies identified between the Turkish- and English-language versions of the treaty text during the ratification process, with both sides confirming agreement on the corrected Turkish wording before final approval proceeded.
The agreement's approval comes amid a broader deepening of defense ties between Ankara and Brasilia.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Erdogan held a phone call in August in which they celebrated the parliamentary ratification of the pact on both sides and agreed to send a Brazilian delegation, led by the country's defense and trade ministers, to Türkiye.
The two leaders also agreed to establish a vice-presidential-level Strategic Council to draft a roadmap for deepening bilateral relations, with Lula expressing interest in expanding Brazilian investment in the defense sector and fostering partnerships between Brazilian and Turkish companies.
Among the deals under discussion are Otokar's Tulpar family of tracked armored vehicles, a candidate in the Brazilian Army's New Family of Tracked Armored Vehicles program in both infantry fighting vehicle and light tank variants, Baykar's Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UAV), of interest to all three of Brazil's armed forces; medium-altitude air defense systems; and space-sector cooperation.
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