Turkey and Qatar signed several new cooperation agreements and issued a joint declaration on Wednesday following talks in Doha aimed at preserving the fragile Gaza ceasefire, which both countries have helped mediate.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the emir’s Diwan, where the two chaired the 11th meeting of the Turkey–Qatar High Strategic Committee. The talks came a day after Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with a Hamas delegation in Doha for closed-door discussions on maintaining the ceasefire.
Both countries are playing a key role in ongoing mediation efforts between Israel and Palestinian groups following months of conflict in Gaza. A Turkish official told Agence France-Presse that discussions with Hamas “did not yield concrete decisions” and that “these issues will depend on how Israel and the United States position themselves during the process.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry released a photo of Fidan and Kalın meeting with a Hamas delegation led by Mohammed Darwish, who said the group remained committed to a “complete ceasefire despite repeated enemy violations.”
Palestinian analyst Ahmad al-Heela told AFP that “efforts by Turkey and Qatar will be crucial to maintaining the ceasefire and shaping Gaza’s future” but warned that both countries “face the challenge of persuading the US administration that Palestinians must have a voice in Gaza’s future — a step toward a two-state solution.”
Following his meeting with Qatar’s emir, Erdoğan said the ceasefire “has provided relief to Palestinians” but reiterated that a two-state solution was the only path to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian issue, according to a statement from his office.
Turkish presence at Egypt border
Turkey has dispatched 81 disaster response specialists who remain at the Egyptian border, awaiting approval from Israel to enter Gaza. The team, from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), is tasked with recovering Palestinian and Israeli bodies, including hostages believed to be buried under collapsed buildings.
A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP that the proposed “stability force” for Gaza is expected to have a military component but that talks are ongoing over which nations would take part and at what level. Erdoğan has said Turkey is ready to contribute troops if requested.
Hossam Shaker, a Vienna-based political analyst, said Turkey’s participation “represents an opportunity to strike a balance in mediation efforts in cooperation with Qatar and Egypt” and could “help curb the usual American bias toward Israel.”
Defense and trade deals signed
During Wednesday’s meeting Turkey and Qatar signed a series of agreements covering defense, trade, and strategic planning.
The “Joint Declaration on the 11th Meeting of the Turkey–Qatar High Strategic Committee” was signed by Foreign Minister Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
A memorandum of understanding on “cooperation and experience sharing in strategic development planning” was signed by Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Trade Minister Ömer Bolat together with Qatar’s National Planning Council Secretary-General Abdulaziz bin Nasir Al Khalifa.
Trade ministers from both countries also signed a “Joint Ministerial Statement,” while another memorandum of understanding on “defense industry cooperation” was signed by Turkey’s Presidency of the Defense Industry head Haluk Görgün and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Ahead of the visit a security source told AFP that Turkey was seeking to acquire up to a dozen used Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Qatar. Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King’s College London, said the transfer could take place “once the new planes ordered by Qatar come in, probably by the end of the year or early 2026.”
A Turkish official said details of the defense cooperation agreement “will be clarified in the coming days.”
With reporting by Agence France-Presse