DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Makkah Defense Alliance opens door to other Muslim-majority countries

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey formally named their new defense pact the Makkah Defense Alliance and established a secretariat in Riyadh.
  • Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance would respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference, while remaining open to additional members.
  • Egypt is reviewing the legal implications of joining, Bangladesh has expressed interest, and reports of an invitation to Iran have not received official confirmation.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have given their new defense pact a name with broad religious and regional resonance: the Makkah Defense Alliance. The title was announced in Istanbul after senior officials from the three countries met on Monday.

The alliance will have a secretariat in Riyadh, while its first secretary-general will come from Pakistan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said. He presented the arrangement as grounded in respect for other states’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in domestic affairs.

A secretariat has been established in Riyadh, and the first secretary-general will be appointed from among our brothers in Pakistan.

— Hakan FidanThe Turkish foreign minister described the alliance’s initial institutional structure.

Fidan also stressed that the framework would remain open to other countries in the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement was defensive and would not replace existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements. Fidan said Ankara hoped eventually to expand the alliance beyond its three founding members.

The principles of international law, such as respect for the sovereignty of other states, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.

— Hakan FidanFidan outlined the principles he said underpin the pact.

Egypt has emerged as a possible addition. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Cairo’s participation was possible, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said officials were examining constitutional and legal questions before deciding. Egypt had taken part in earlier four-party security discussions with the three founding countries but did not sign the pact on Aug. 7.

Interest has also surfaced elsewhere. Former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani publicly urged all six Gulf Cooperation Council members to join. Bangladesh has been the most open about its interest, with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir saying Dhaka had expressed interest. Reports that Iran received an invitation have not been confirmed by an official government statement.

Open to partnership and participation by any other country in the region.

— Hakan FidanThe Turkish foreign minister said the alliance could accept additional regional participants.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog