DOHA — Doha played host on October 22 to a significant deepening of ties between Türkiye and Qatar, as the two countries formally signed a joint declaration alongside multiple agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation across defence, trade and strategic development.
At the 11th meeting of the Türkiye-Qatar High Strategic Committee, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presided over the signing ceremony after bilateral and delegation-level talks. The “Joint Declaration on the 11th Meeting of the High Strategic Committee Between the Republic of Türkiye and the State of Qatar” was signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Key agreements unveiled during the ceremony include a Memorandum of Understanding between Türkiye’s Presidency of Strategy & Budget and Qatar’s Government on strategic development planning; a Joint Ministerial Declaration on trade and commerce between Türkiye’s Trade Ministry and Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce & Industry; and a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the defence-industry field signed by Türkiye’s Defence Industry Agency head Haluk Görgün and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.
On the trade front, the declaration authorises closer frameworks for bilateral commerce, investment and institutional cooperation. It underscores mutual efforts to increase trade volumes, facilitate joint ventures, share expertise in planning and development, and enhance logistics and market access between Türkiye and Qatar. In the defence sector, the MoU establishes a formal mechanism for the two nations to collaborate on defence-industry production, joint projects, technology transfer and third-country cooperation.
The timing of this enhanced partnership signals Ankara and Doha’s intent to broaden their bilateral alignment in a changing regional security and economic environment. Türkiye’s growing foreign-policy ambition and Qatar’s role as a regional financier and mediator create a synergy that both governments are keen to leverage. Analysts say the agreements demonstrate a move beyond ad-hoc cooperation toward a structured strategic partnership.
