Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar and Indonesia are moving towards a defence cooperation agreement that will expand military training, defence industry collaboration and security coordination between the two countries [Getty]
Qatar and Indonesia are moving closer to signing a defence cooperation agreement as the two countries seek to deepen military ties and expand collaboration in training, defence industries and security coordination, officials said on Tuesday.
The development comes amid a noticeable expansion in relations between Doha and Jakarta since the start of the year, particularly in the defence and military sectors. However, officials have not indicated that any future agreement would commit either country to come to the other’s military defence.
Speaking after talks with Qatar’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Jakarta, Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding and expressed their intention to conclude a broader defence cooperation agreement.
“Although we are still in the process of drafting the defence cooperation agreement, we will sign an agreement today that paves the way for signing the defence cooperation agreement,” Sjamsoeddin told reporters.
Sheikh Saud described relations between Qatar and Indonesia as highly strategic, particularly in the defence sector, and said he looked forward to expanding cooperation between the two countries.
He added that the two defence ministries had also signed agreements covering joint military training, military education and defence industries. Indonesia’s Defence Ministry said the cooperation would involve personnel from both countries’ armed forces and navies.
Qatar and Indonesia launched a formal strategic dialogue in April 2025 covering security, defence and counterterrorism cooperation, alongside political and economic issues including trade, investment and cultural exchange.
The growing defence relationship was further highlighted earlier this year when Barzan Holdings, the investment arm of Qatar’s Ministry of Defence, signed procurement contracts worth 8 billion Qatari riyals ($2.2 billion) with Indonesia’s Defence Ministry during the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2026).
On Tuesday, Sheikh Saud held further talks with Sjamsoeddin focused on expanding military cooperation, training and security coordination, as well as reviewing the implementation of previous agreements on defence procurement, training and strategic information sharing.
The discussions followed a meeting on Monday at Jakarta’s Merdeka Palace between Sheikh Saud and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, during which the Qatari minister delivered a message from Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
According to Indonesia’s presidential secretariat, the meeting reviewed progress in implementing a comprehensive bilateral memorandum of understanding signed in Doha in April 2025, which laid the foundation for enhanced defence procurement, joint training and strategic intelligence cooperation.
In a statement, the secretariat said President Prabowo welcomed the message from the Qatari emir and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, describing the discussions as part of ongoing efforts to build a “mutually beneficial strategic partnership” that contributes to regional stability.
Speaking to The New Arab, Abdullah Baabood, holder of the Qatar Chair for Islamic Area Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, said any future defence agreement should be viewed within a broader geopolitical context rather than as a purely military arrangement.
Baabood said the agreement would reflect both the changing regional security environment following recent conflicts and a wider Gulf trend towards building diversified security partnerships beyond traditional US-led frameworks.
“For Qatar, the most important message may be that Doha does not want to remain strategically confined to the Gulf or the West, but is seeking to expand its security and political presence in Asia, with Indonesia representing a natural gateway for that approach,” he said.
He added that any agreement would likely focus on military cooperation, training, defence industries, maritime security and counterterrorism rather than mutual defence guarantees.
“I do not think it will resemble the Saudi-Pakistani model,” Baabood said. “The Qatar-Indonesia agreement is more likely to focus on military cooperation, training, exchange of expertise, defence industries and maritime security than on a mutual defence commitment or security umbrella.”
