Doha, October 21,2026: Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Indonesia have signed a multilateral agreement to strengthen defence cooperation, promote joint military production and enhance their defence capabilities, according to the Turkish Defence Ministry.
The agreement, titled the “Badr Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” was signed in Qatar in the presence of defence officials from the four countries. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif signed the agreement on behalf of Pakistan. The Foreign Office has yet to comment on the pact.
According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, the agreement aims to expand cooperation in military production, strengthen defence capabilities and promote collaboration in technical military training, research and development.
The ministry described the agreement as economically significant, saying it would enable the participating countries to draw on their respective defence production capabilities, strengthen their defence industries and better meet the requirements of allied and friendly nations.
The other signatories were Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman, and Indonesia’s Deputy Defence Minister Yusuf Jauhari. Haluk Görgün, head of Turkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries, also attended the ceremony.
Görgün said the agreement laid the foundation for strategic cooperation in joint production and technological development.
He emphasized that technology sharing, joint development and stronger domestic production capabilities were central to building sustainable defence industries. He added that Turkiye valued partnerships extending beyond the procurement of ready-made equipment to developing local human resources and industrial infrastructure.
Görgün expressed confidence that the Badr MoU would help translate the complementary capabilities of Pakistan, Qatar, Indonesia and Turkiye into concrete projects.
State-run Qatar News Agency reported that the pact was named “Badr,” referring to the full moon, to symbolize how the four countries complement one another through the agreement. It added that other friendly countries could join the arrangement under criteria agreed upon by the four signatories.
Growing defence and security cooperation
The agreement comes amid increased diplomatic and security engagement among the four countries, which share longstanding relations with Pakistan.
Pakistan and Turkiye, along with Saudi Arabia, are members of the Makkah Defence Alliance, under which members have committed to treating an attack against any one of them as an attack against all. Qatar has welcomed the initiative as a means of promoting regional security and stability.
Pakistan and Qatar have also remained engaged in mediation efforts relating to the US-Iran war, while Pakistan and Turkiye are part of the Regional Four (R4) grouping alongside Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The group emerged in March and has held several meetings since its formation.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Qatari counterpart during a visit to Doha, with both sides agreeing to strengthen cooperation in internal security.
During his visit to Qatar in November 2025, President Asif Ali Zardari met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and offered to expand bilateral cooperation in defence production.
Pakistan has also stepped up defence engagement with Indonesia. Last month, Indonesian naval chief Admiral Dr Muhammad Ali met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in professional training, defence collaboration and joint exercises.
The Indonesian naval chief also met President Zardari. In January, Indonesia’s Defence Minister, retired Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, met Field Marshal Munir and expressed Jakarta’s desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan, according to the ISPR.
The Badr MoU is expected to provide a framework for closer cooperation among the four countries in defence production, technology development, training and related industrial activities.
