ANKARA(National Times)- Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia on Wednesday signed a multilateral pact to promote cooperation in defence production and capabilities, the Turkish defence ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Foreign Office has yet to comment on the signing of the defence pact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reuters quoted the Turkish ministry as saying that the pact, titled \u2018Badr Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)\u2019, was aimed at defence cooperation and strengthening defensive capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe agreement holds substantial economic importance,\u201d it said, adding the accord sought to foster cooperation in military production, boost military capabilities, and help collaboration in technical military training, research and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy leveraging the unique military production capabilities of each country, the initiative will facilitate cooperation and integration, enhance defence industrial capacities, and enable the fulfilment of the needs of allied and friendly nations,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkish Defence Minister Ya\u015far G\u00fcler, Qatar\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman, and Indonesia\u2019s Deputy Minister of Defence Yusuf Jauhari were the other signatories. Haluk G\u00f6rg\u00fcn, who heads Turkiye\u2019s Secretariat of Defence Industries, was also present on the occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
G\u00f6rg\u00fcn said in a statement that the accord formed the foundation of a \u201cstrategic cooperation\u201d to develop joint production and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTechnology sharing, joint development and strengthening domestic production capabilities lie at the heart of sustainable defence industry. As Turkiye, we value partnerships that go beyond off-the-shelf procurement models, that foster the development of a nation\u2019s own human capital and industrial infrastructure,\u201d Gorgun said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe that the Badr MoU will contribute to transforming the complementary capabilities of Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Turkiye into concrete projects,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State-run Qatar News Agency said the pact was named \u2018Badr\u2019, \u201creferring to the full moon, to signify how the four nations complement one another through this agreement, given its immense importance in terms of both defence and the economy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOther friendly nations may join the MoU, in accordance with criteria agreed upon by the four countries,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan has strong brotherly and historic ties with the three countries, with intense diplomatic engagement seen in recent months with Qatar and Turkiye particularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Islamabad and Doha have remained engaged as mediators in the US-Iran war. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Turkiye are part of the Regional Four (R4) Group along with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which emerged in March and has met several times since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Qatari counterpart during his visit to Doha, where the two agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in internal security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his November 2025 visit to the Gulf state, President Asif Ali Zardari met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and offered to expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month, Indonesian naval chief Admiral Dr Muhammad Ali called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two sides \u201creaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen cooperation, particularly in the domains of professional training, defence collaboration and joint exercises\u201d, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The naval chief had also met President Asif Ali Zardari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January, Defence Minister retired Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin had called on CDF Munir, with ISPR saying he expressed Jakarta\u2019s desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANKARA(National Times)- 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n