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Saudi Arabia: Defense Pact with Turkey, Pakistan Not Sectarian or Nuclear Axis
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Saudi Arabia: Defense Pact with Turkey, Pakistan Not Sectarian or Nuclear Axis

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a joint defense agreement.
  • Riyadh states the pact is not aimed at creating a sectarian or nuclear axis, but focuses on sustainable capabilities.
  • The agreement enhances collective deterrence and mutual defense against external aggression.

Saudi Arabia has clarified that its new joint defense agreement with Turkey and Pakistan, both majority Sunni Muslim nations, is not intended to form a sectarian or nuclear bloc. The pact aims to bolster sustainable defense capabilities among the three countries.

The agreement does not represent an attempt to establish a military axis or a sectarian bloc. Nor is it linked to nuclear ambitions or an arms race; on the contrary, it focuses on developing sustainable capabilities.

— Rayed KrimlySaudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy, explaining the nature of the defense pact on X.

Rayed Krimly, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy, stated on X that the agreement does not pose a threat to any regional country or escalate tensions. He emphasized that the pact focuses on developing sustainable capabilities and is not linked to nuclear ambitions or an arms race. The agreement stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three nations will be considered an attack against all.

The accord, signed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is named the Joint Defense Agreement of Mecca. It seeks to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression and enhance defense cooperation. This development occurs amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly concerning the conflict involving Iran.

any armed attack against any of the three countries will be considered an attack against the three

— Rayed KrimlySaudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy, detailing a key clause of the defense agreement.

Saudi Arabia, the leading Arab power in the Persian Gulf, possesses advanced military capabilities. Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal, and Turkey is a member of NATO. The agreement reaffirms Saudi Arabia's strategic relationships with its Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf, assuring them that the pact does not undermine existing ties.

reinforce collective deterrence against any act of aggression

— Joint statementDescribing the objective of the Joint Defense Agreement of Mecca.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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