Turkey and Qatar sign mutual defence agreement

Turkey and Qatar have inked a mutual defence agreement in Istanbul, marking the latest in a series of defence pacts between Ankara and other Muslim states, according to a statement from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office. The defence agreement, one of five signed during Turkish President Erdogan's visit to Qatar, aims to strengthen the "brotherhood" between the two nations.

Erdogan said the cooperation in the defence industry between Turkey and Qatar would continue to grow. Since 2017, Turkey and Qatar have had several defense agreements, including the hosting of Turkish troops in Doha. The new pact obliges both countries to come to each other's defense. Recently, Turkey signed a similar defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, known as the Mecca Agreement.

The Turkish parliament approved the Mecca defence pact on Friday, paving the way for the deployment of Turkish troops to Saudi Arabia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified that any deployment would be defensive in nature and Turkish forces would not operate in Yemen.