Amid concerns over Bangladesh’s reported interest in joining the Pakistan-led Mecca Defence Pact, India faces another regional development as maritime neighbour Indonesia joins a separate defence cooperation agreement involving Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan. Signed on Wednesday, the agreement aims to deepen defence cooperation and strengthen the participating countries' defensive capabilities, according to the Turkish Defence Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said the countries signed the "Badr Memorandum of Understanding" in Doha as a sign of their ‌desire to further deepen cooperation and develop partnerships. "The agreement holds substantial economic importance," it said, adding the accord sought to foster cooperation in military production, boost military capabilities, and help collaboration in technical military training, research and development.

"By leveraging the unique military production capabilities of each country, the initiative will facilitate cooperation and integration, enhance defence industrial capacities, and enable the fulfilment of the needs of allied and friendly nations," it added.

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Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army and a robust defence industry, has been helping Gulf nations, including Qatar, where it has a military base, bolster their defences amid the Iran war.

Another victory for Pakistan?

In August, it signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, under which an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all. Ankara also has close ties with Indonesia, notably in the defence industry. The ministry said the Badr accord would strengthen ‌ties between the countries' defence industries and bolster collaboration to promote security and achieve shared objectives.

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Why is it concerning for India?

India has reason to watch the agreement closely, primarily because Pakistan could gain access to a wider network of defence technology, joint weapons production and military-industrial partnerships. But there is an important distinction— the new agreement is about defence cooperation, not an automatic commitment by all four countries to fight alongside Pakistan against India.

Does this mean India is facing a new military alliance?

Not necessarily. The immediate agreement is primarily industrial and technological. There is no publicly established evidence that the four countries have formed an anti-India military bloc or agreed to intervene collectively in a future India-Pakistan conflict.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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