Islamabad, Oct 21 (PTI) Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Indonesia on Wednesday signed an agreement in Doha to bolster defence cooperation and strengthen their defensive capabilities.
The ‘Badr Memorandum of Understanding’ was signed by Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, his Turkish counterpart Yasar Güler, Qatar’s Deputy PM and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Yusuf Jauhari, the Turkish defence ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has yet to comment on the signing of the Badr pact, which seems to be named after the site of the first major military engagement between the early Muslims and the tribes of Makkah in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
The development comes months after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an attack against one of the countries will be treated as an attack against all of them.
“In a step that reflects the commitment to strengthening joint cooperation and developing strategic partnerships, the ‘Badr’ multilateral memorandum of understanding was signed in the Qatari capital,” Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said in a post on X.
It said the pact “aims to foster cooperation in the field of defence manufacturing, enhance defence capabilities among the four countries, and promote collaboration in technical defence training and research and development fields, thereby contributing to the creation of solutions and industries befitting the development of modern defences.”
This agreement “holds significant economic importance for the signatory countries, as it will leverage each country’s capabilities in defence manufacturing, achieving cooperation, integration, and the development of defence industry capacities to meet the needs of allied and friendly nations,” the Qatari defence ministry said.
The development comes amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region and indications that the US might be preparing for another round of fighting with Iran. PTI ZH ZH
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