Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia forge ‘Badr’ deal to jointly produce weapons

Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a deal on Wednesday laying the groundwork for the joint production of military hardware and expanded cooperation in military training, research and development. Turkey has emerged as a major player in the defence industry, with Turkish companies exporting billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment each year, including drones, air defence systems and armoured vehicles. Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and the president of Turkish Defence Industries, Haluk Gorgun, signed the memorandum of understanding in Doha alongside Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Indonesian Deputy Defence Minister Yusuf Jauhari. Turkey’s defence ministry said in a statement that the agreement would be known as the “Badr deal”, a reference to the Battle of Badr in 624, when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers defeated their opponents in one of Islam’s earliest battles in the Arabian Peninsula. “Badr means ‘full moon’ - as the four participating nations complement one another through this pact, which holds significant military and economic importance,” the statement said. Read more: Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia forge ‘Badr’ deal to jointly produce weapons A Turkish Air Force (THK) aerobatic team performs a demonstration flight over Istanbul's Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul on 30 August 2024 (Kemal Aslan/AFP)