Turkey Says It Signed Mutual Defense Agreement With Qatar

Turkey said it signed a mutual defense agreement with Qatar on Friday, November 13. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the agreement with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during talks at the Presidential Dolmabahçe Office in Istanbul. The Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said the leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional and global developments. Erdoğan said the agreement signed that day would add another dimension to ties between the two countries. He also said their defense-industry cooperation would continue to increase. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and National Intelligence Organization chief İbrahim Kalın attended the meeting. According to the Turkish statement, Erdoğan said the two countries would keep working together to prevent renewed war in the Gulf region, establish a basis for dialogue and secure peace. He stressed the importance of persuading the parties to resolve their problems through diplomacy. The talks also covered the war and humanitarian situation in Gaza, normalization steps in Syria and the latest situation in Libya. Erdoğan also pointed to the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement that entered into force last year, saying it had brought the countries closer to their bilateral trade-volume target. He said Turkey was working to expand and diversify its energy partnership with Qatar.