Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
Turkey is set to approve a comprehensive agreement with Chad on military cooperation that includes intelligence sharing, joint operations, training and logistics.
The agreement, a copy of which was obtained by Nordic Monitor, details the full scope of cooperation on military matters and will serve as framework, which means further agreements can be made as part of implementing the provisions of the articles.
The agreement was ratified by Chad last year, and Turkey is set to do the same after it was referred to the Parliament Speaker’s Office on April 24. It is currently with the Foreign Affairs Committee and National Defense Committee for review.
Article 5, which details the fields of military cooperation, mentions military training, education, joint exercises, defense industry cooperation, exchange of military intelligence and cooperation on communications, electronics, information systems and cyber defense. It includes joint military operations.
Full text of Turkey-Chad military cooperation agreement:
The agreement was specifically written in a way to allow further agreements, MoUs and protocols in military matters, which means that such agreements do not need to be disclosed and submitted to parliament for approval. “The Parties may conclude complementary memoranda of understanding, protocols and arrangements for the implementation of this Agreement …” Article 5 states.
The information exchanged as part of the agreement would be kept confidential and not shared with any third party even after the termination of the agreement.
Boith Turkey and Chad agreed to work on intelligence sharing on third countries that would be described as harmful to their interests.
“This article, regarding the countries considered to harm the mutual interests of the Parties and to be determined jointly, shall cover the developments in the area of interest of the Armed forces of the Parties, priority being given to the military activities and exchange of military intelligence information about the activities of these countries in Turkey and Chad,” reads the first paragraph of Article 8 on military intelligence.
The agreement, originally signed on February 27, 2019, is valid for five years with automatic renewals unless either party decides to withdraw from the deal.
In December 2017 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the first Turkish president to visit Chad. General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the head of a 15-member military junta, visited Turkey and met with Erdoğan on October 27, 2021. During a joint press briefing with Into, President Erdoğan promised to give all kinds of support to Chad and Itno’s administration. He emphasized that Turkey is ready to develop its cooperation with Chad in the military, defense and security fields.
