How Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia are deepening defence ties

Experts say conflicts and uncertainty are accelerating efforts to strengthen regional military capacity.

The 'Badr' project agreement was signed in the Qatari capital, Doha, between Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkiye on October 21, 2026 [Handout/Turkish Defence Ministry via Al Jazeera]

Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a deal on Wednesday to deepen their defence industry cooperation, reflecting a broader effort by countries in the region to widen their network of security partners amid the prolonged US-Israel war with Iran.

The four countries signed the memorandum of understanding in Doha, building on existing military projects through joint production, technology transfers and more closely integrated supply chains.

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The initiative comes as the failure of the United States and Iran to reach a concrete peace agreement pushes countries in the region to diversify their defence partnerships and look beyond what experts described as an overreliance on Washington for their security. But they stress that closer cooperation does not mean abandoning long-standing alliances. Instead, the ambition is to gain greater control over their own security while strengthening pre-existing partnerships.

Arda Mevlutoglu, a defence industry analyst and managing director of Mergen Analytical Strategies, told Al Jazeera that the implications could extend well beyond the four participants.

“We may be witnessing the emergence of an interconnected network of defence and security arrangements extending from the Gulf to South and Southeast Asia, rather than a single formal alliance,” he said.

The multilateral ‘Badr’ agreement was signed in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 [Handout/ Ministry of Defence via Al Jazeera]

What would the agreement do?

In a statement, the Qatari Defence Ministry said the “Badr” Memorandum of Understanding “aims to foster cooperation in the field of defence manufacturing, enhance defence capabilities among the four countries, and promote collaboration in technical defence training, as well as in research and development areas, thereby contributing to the creation of solutions and industries worthy of the evolution of modern defences”.

Experts say that under the agreement, each country will bring its own resources or set of skills to the table. “Turkiye contributes technological expertise, systems integration and a mature defence industry; Pakistan and Indonesia offer manufacturing capacity, skilled workforces and sizeable domestic markets; and Qatar provides investment potential and demand,” said Mevlutoglu.

Together, the four nations could “establish integrated supply chains, allowing these countries to jointly develop, manufacture and sustain defence systems”, he told Al Jazeera.

Such arrangements could give buyers a larger role in producing and supporting their own equipment, while providing manufacturers with longer-term orders and investment. Albert Vidal, a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera that Pakistan and Indonesia were both willing to purchase Turkish weapons and locate part of their production at home.

This could bring down costs for Turkish companies and bring jobs to Pakistan and Indonesia, while Qatar brings “financial depth”, he said.

Building on existing partnerships

Turkiye, home to one of the world’s most advanced defence sectors, already has military manufacturing ties with Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia separately. Qatar and Turkiye, for instance, signed a bilateral defence industry memorandum in October 2025.

But Vidal says that the new agreement, bringing together all four nations, points to a strategic calculation alongside an industrial one. Closer relationships could give more countries a stake in each other’s security. He pointed to Qatar’s investment in the Turkish defence industry over more than a decade and Ankara’s deployment of forces to Doha during the 2017 diplomatic crisis.

Pakistan’s existing naval manufacturing project with Turkiye, meanwhile, shows how weapons purchases can support domestic manufacturing. Of the four ships announced under the project, two are to be built in Istanbul and two at Karachi Shipyard.

Indonesia and Turkiye, meanwhile, are jointly building a tank.

“The rationale is to streamline these distinct defence export and joint production agreements under a more structured and resilient networked hub, rather than reinvent the wheel with each new defence agreement,” Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told Al Jazeera.

Less dependence on Washington?

The US-Israeli war with Iran and recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have heightened regional security concerns, analysts say, while reported US weapons shortages may be adding urgency to efforts to strengthen pre-existing partners and bolster domestic arms-building capacity.

“Diversification is a major driver, particularly as recent conflicts have exposed vulnerabilities associated with dependence on foreign suppliers, technology restrictions and supply chain disruptions,” Mevlutoglu said.

But he cautioned against interpreting the memorandum as a break with Washington. “Qatar is unlikely to abandon its strategic relationship with Washington, while Turkiye seeks greater technological independence within NATO, not autonomy from it,” he said.

According to Bader Mousa Al-Saif, an associate fellow with Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme and an assistant professor at Kuwait University, the initiative reflects Gulf countries increasingly looking towards the Global South and fellow Muslim countries.

It also complements a separate effort to formalise military cooperation across the region, analysts say. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, establishing a mutual defence commitment. Ankara submitted the agreement to parliament for ratification on Wednesday, although deploying Turkish troops abroad would require separate parliamentary approval.

The Doha memorandum concerns industrial cooperation rather than a mutual defence pledge, but Mevlutoglu sees a connection between the two initiatives. “While Mecca focuses on collective deterrence and military cooperation, Doha could provide the industrial and technological foundations for such partnerships,” he said.

专家表示，冲突和不确定性正在加速加强区域军事能力的努力。

2026年10月21日，卡塔尔、印度尼西亚、巴基斯坦和土耳其在卡塔尔首都多哈签署了“巴德尔”项目协议。[图片由土耳其国防部通过半岛电视台提供]

卡塔尔、土耳其、巴基斯坦和印度尼西亚周三签署了一项协议，旨在深化国防工业合作。这反映出，在美以对伊战争持续不断的背景下，该地区各国正在努力扩大其安全伙伴网络。

四国在多哈签署了谅解备忘录，在现有军事项目的基础上，通过联合生产、技术转让和更紧密一体化的供应链，进一步深化合作。

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由于美国和伊朗未能达成具体的和平协议，该地区各国开始寻求防务伙伴关系多元化，并摆脱专家所说的对华盛顿安全过度依赖。这一倡议正是在此背景下提出的。但他们强调，加强合作并不意味着放弃长期的联盟关系。相反，其目标是在加强现有伙伴关系的同时，更好地掌控自身安全。

国防工业分析师、Mergen Analytical Strategies 的总经理 Arda Mevlutoglu 告诉半岛电视台，此事的影响可能远远超出这四位参与者。

他说：“我们或许正在见证一个从海湾地区延伸到南亚和东南亚的相互关联的防务和安全安排网络的出现，而不是一个单一的正式联盟。”

2026年10月21日星期三，多边“巴德尔”协议在卡塔尔首都多哈签署。[新闻稿/国防部通过半岛电视台发布]

该协议将包含哪些内容？

卡塔尔国防部在一份声明中表示，“巴德尔”谅解备忘录“旨在促进国防制造领域的合作，增强四国之间的国防能力，并促进在国防技术培训以及研发领域的合作，从而为现代国防的发展创造合适的解决方案和产业”。

专家表示，根据该协议，每个国家都将贡献自身的资源或技能。“土耳其贡献技术专长、系统集成能力和成熟的国防工业；巴基斯坦和印度尼西亚提供制造能力、熟练劳动力和庞大的国内市场；卡塔尔则提供投资潜力和需求，”梅夫卢托格鲁说道。

他告诉半岛电视台，这四个国家可以“建立一体化的供应链，使这些国家能够共同开发、制造和维护国防系统”。

此类安排可以让买家在生产和维护自身装备方面发挥更大作用，同时也能为制造商带来更长期的订单和投资。国际战略研究所研究员阿尔伯特·维达尔告诉半岛电视台，巴基斯坦和印度尼西亚都愿意购买土耳其武器，并将部分生产转移到本国。

他表示，这可以降低土耳其公司的成本，并为巴基斯坦和印度尼西亚带来就业机会，而卡塔尔则带来了“雄厚的财力”。

在现有合作关系的基础上

土耳其拥有世界上最先进的国防工业之一，目前已分别与卡塔尔、巴基斯坦和印度尼西亚建立了军事制造方面的联系。例如，卡塔尔和土耳其于2025年10月签署了一份双边国防工业备忘录。

但维达尔表示，这项将四国联合起来的新协议，除了工业考量之外，也体现了战略考量。更紧密的合作关系可能使更多国家在彼此的安全中拥有利益。他指出，卡塔尔十多年来一直投资土耳其国防工业，安卡拉也在2017年外交危机期间向多哈部署了军队。

与此同时，巴基斯坦与土耳其现有的海军舰艇制造项目表明，武器采购如何能够支持国内制造业发展。该项目宣布建造的四艘舰艇中，两艘将在伊斯坦布尔建造，两艘将在卡拉奇造船厂建造。

与此同时，印度尼西亚和土耳其正在联合建造一辆坦克。

“这样做的目的是为了简化这些不同的国防出口和联合生产协议，建立一个结构更完善、更具弹性的网络中心，而不是每次签署新的国防协议都重新发明轮子，”皇家联合军种研究所高级研究员布尔库·奥兹切利克告诉半岛电视台。

减少对华盛顿的依赖？

分析人士表示，美以与伊朗的战争以及胡塞武装最近对沙特阿拉伯的袭击加剧了地区安全担忧，而据报道美国武器短缺可能使加强现有合作伙伴和增强国内武器制造能力的努力变得更加紧迫。

“多元化是一个主要驱动因素，尤其是在最近的冲突暴露了依赖外国供应商、技术限制和供应链中断等脆弱性之后，”梅夫卢托格鲁说。

但他告诫不要将这份备忘录解读为与华盛顿决裂。“卡塔尔不太可能放弃与华盛顿的战略关系，而土耳其寻求的是北约内部更大的技术独立性，而不是脱离北约的自主权，”他说。

据查塔姆研究所中东和北非项目副研究员、科威特大学助理教授巴德尔·穆萨·赛义夫称，该倡议反映出海湾国家越来越关注全球南方和穆斯林同胞国家。

分析人士指出，此举也与该地区旨在正式确立军事合作的另一项努力相辅相成。沙特阿拉伯、巴基斯坦和土耳其于8月签署了《麦加联合防御协议》，确立了共同防御承诺。安卡拉已于周三将该协议提交议会批准，但土耳其向海外部署军队仍需获得议会另行批准。

多哈备忘录关注的是工业合作而非共同防御承诺，但梅夫卢托格鲁认为这两项倡议之间存在联系。“麦加备忘录侧重于集体威慑和军事合作，而多哈备忘录可以为这类伙伴关系提供工业和技术基础，”他说道。