Turkey and Qatar have agreed to strengthen their military ties, pro-government news outlet Daily Sabah reported.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar met his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss cooperation in the defence industry and military training, Daily Sabah said.
Turkey has a military base in Qatar, where it deployed additional troops in a show of support during the Saudi Arabia-led boycott of the small Gulf state that lasted for three years from 2017.
The two countries have signed several defence deals in recent years. Qatar operates six of Turkey’s domestic made Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, according to Reuters. Doha is also reported to have invested in Turkey’s new Bayraktar Akinci drone.
Turkey is building two cadet training warships for the Qatari navy, the first of which was delivered in August.
Meanwhile, Doha also owns a 49.9% share in the Turkish armoured vehicle manufacturer BMC, which is contracted to build Turkey’s first domestic-made tank.
Ahval