Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia sign Badr defence pact

Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a defence-industry cooperation memorandum called Badr in Doha on Oct. 21, 2026, committing the four countries to joint military production, technical training and research, the Turkish defence ministry said.

The agreement ties Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia to a Turkish arms industry that exported about $54 billion in defence and aerospace goods from 2012 through the first nine months of 2026, according to Anadolu Agency and Reuters.

The memorandum was signed by Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Indonesian Deputy Defence Minister Yusuf Jauhari, the Express Tribune reported, citing Anadolu and Reuters. Haluk Gorgun, who heads Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries, attended the ceremony.

The Saudi Press Agency, citing the Qatar News Agency, said the four defence ministries, Pakistan’s defence production authority and Turkey’s defence industries presidency signed the text. It said the memorandum aims to foster cooperation in defence manufacturing and enhance the four countries’ defence capabilities.

Badr means “full moon” in Arabic. The Turkish ministry said the four nations complement one another through the pact, “which holds significant military and economic importance,” according to Middle East Eye.

Gorgun said technology sharing, joint development and stronger domestic production “lie at the heart of a sustainable defence industry.” He said the memorandum would help turn the complementary capabilities of the four countries “into concrete projects,” the Express Tribune reported.

Middle East Eye, citing unnamed sources, reported that each country will set its requirements, that a technical executive board will draft joint-production plans and that a strategic board of ministers and industry officials will decide budgets and production sites. The outlet also reported, again citing unnamed sources, that Qatar is expected to contribute funding and technology and that joint facilities are expected in Turkey. None of that has been confirmed by the governments.

None of the published accounts reviewed by Canada News Media says the Badr text contains a mutual-defence clause. That sets it apart from the Makkah agreement of Aug. 7 between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which says any aggression against one country shall be considered an aggression against all, the Express Tribune reported. Analyst Arda Mevlutoglu said the pact may signal “an interconnected network of defence and security arrangements” and that diversification is a major driver, because recent conflicts exposed the risks of relying on foreign suppliers.

The signing comes as Gulf security remains strained. Egypt pledged help to Saudi Arabia this week, and Middle East Eye cited Qatari sources who pointed to the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz crisis as reasons for urgent air-defence needs.

For Canada, the link is indirect. Indonesia is one of the four signatories and signed its own trade deal and defence pact with Canada in September 2025. No Canadian government reaction to Badr has been reported.

No dollar value, timeline or list of weapons systems has been published for the memorandum. Middle East Eye described the two boards that would run the programme, but none of the four governments has detailed them.

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Via Middle East Eye, Anadolu Agency and Reuters (through the Express Tribune), and the Saudi Press Agency.