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Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia sign Badr military cooperation pact

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (second from left), Defense Industries Secretariat head Haluk Gorgun (left), Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hasan Al Thani (center), Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Jauhari (right) and Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (second from right) attend the signing ceremony of the Badr Memorandum of Understanding in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AA Photo)
October 21, 2026 03:30 PM GMT+03:00

Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan, and Indonesia signed a multilateral defense agreement in Doha on Wednesday, paving the way for closer cooperation in military production and research as the four countries seek to strengthen their industrial capabilities.

The agreement, officially called the Badr Memorandum of Understanding, brings together the four countries' defense ministries and aims to build on their existing partnerships, according to Türkiye's National Defense Ministry.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler signed the pact alongside Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheik Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hasan Al Thani, Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Jauhari, and Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.

Pact targets defense production, military cooperation

The Badr agreement aims to combine the four countries' defense industry capabilities, expand military production cooperation and increase collaboration in technical training, research and development.

It also seeks to strengthen industrial capacity, support technology development and help meet the needs of allied and friendly countries.

Türkiye's Defense Ministry described the pact as economically significant, saying the countries would draw on their complementary production capabilities to develop their defense industries and strengthen cooperation across the sector.

The initiative also aims to support the development of industrial solutions suited to modern defense systems and contribute to shared security and stability objectives.

Haluk Gorgun, head of Türkiye's Presidency of Defense Industries, described the memorandum as a framework for moving beyond conventional arms purchases toward joint production and technology development.

"We see the Badr Memorandum of Understanding as a strategic cooperation platform that brings together our countries' defense industry capabilities and expands opportunities for joint production and technology development," Gorgun said.

He added that Türkiye's approach to international defense partnerships goes beyond supplying equipment, emphasizing the sharing of technical knowledge, engineering expertise and experience to help partner countries strengthen their own industrial infrastructure and local production capabilities.

The agreement is intended to turn the four countries' complementary strengths into concrete projects, broaden military cooperation and build more sustainable defense industry capabilities. It does not establish a mutual defense commitment, according to the agreement's stated objectives.

The name "Badr," rendered as "Bedir" in Turkish, means "full moon," according to Türkiye's Defense Ministry.

Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat head Haluk Gorgun (left), Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (second from left), Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hasan Al Thani (center), Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (second from right) and Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Jauhari (right) sign the Badr Memorandum of Understanding in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AA Photo)
Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat head Haluk Gorgun (left), Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (second from left), Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hasan Al Thani (center), Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (second from right) and Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Jauhari (right) sign the Badr Memorandum of Understanding in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AA Photo)

Türkiye builds on expanding defense exports

The Badr agreement comes as Türkiye's defense industry expands its overseas sales and pursues partnerships built around joint production and technology sharing. Türkiye's defense and aviation exports reached $10.05 billion in 2025, climbing 48% from the previous year.

The four signatories already have defense industry links with Türkiye, including projects involving fighter aircraft, naval vessels and industrial cooperation.

Indonesia signed a contract in July 2025 to acquire 48 KAAN fighter aircraft from Türkiye. The arrangement also envisages drawing on Indonesian industrial capabilities, with technology transfer and the development of local production capacity forming part of the broader cooperation.

Türkiye and Pakistan, meanwhile, have worked together on the MILGEM corvette program, which covers four naval vessels for Pakistan. The project involves construction in both countries and provides an established example of cooperation in defense production.

Qatar also has existing defense industry agreements with Türkiye. In October 2025, the two countries signed a memorandum on defense industry cooperation, while Turkish defense companies ASFAT and MKE signed cooperation protocols with Qatar's Barzan Holding in February 2025.

The Badr memorandum brings these existing relationships into a four-country framework focused on military production, technical training, research and development.

October 21, 2026 03:30 PM GMT+03:00
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