Egypt may join new Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defense pact, Erdogan says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Egypt might join a new joint defense agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. He stated that the alliance, known as the Mecca Defense Pact, is open to participation from other countries.

Erdogan explained in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera that the agreement mandates member states to take collective action in the event of an external attack on any of them. "This agreement sends an important message to the world," he said.

The pact, signed in the holy city of Mecca by Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stipulates that an armed attack against one of the three nations will be considered an attack against all. Analysts have compared this collective deterrence provision to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

However, officials in Islamabad cautioned that the agreement should not be viewed as a NATO version or be directed against any specific country. Erdogan also emphasized Ankara's priority in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that its continued closure benefits no one. He acknowledged Qatar's role in mediation efforts to halt regional conflicts and vowed that Turkey would not abandon its neighbors, including Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon, to regional turmoil alone. He also mentioned plans to visit Syria, asserting that the Kurdish population there would also experience peace and stability, and that Turkey would continue to strengthen relations with and protect the rights of Kurds throughout the region.

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This agreement sends an important message to the world.