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Turkey seeks to expand defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
🇩🇰 Denmark /Conflict & Security

Turkey seeks to expand defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement, dubbed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement."
  • The deal stipulates that an armed attack against one signatory will be considered an attack against all three.
  • Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested the agreement could be expanded to include other countries, such as Egypt, and likened its core principle to NATO's Article 5.

Turkey aims to expand a newly signed joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to include more nations, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The agreement, officially named the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," was signed Friday and establishes a mutual defense pact where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

Fidan indicated that Egypt is a potential candidate for joining the alliance, though Cairo has not yet commented. The Turkish minister stated that the agreement is not directed at Iran or any other specific country. He drew parallels between the pact's core tenet and Article 5 of NATO's treaty, which mandates collective defense among member states.

NATO is a huge military alliance that includes 32 countries. We have started here as three countries, and we must take very modest but concrete steps.

— Hakan FidanThe Turkish Foreign Minister described the new defense pact's initial scope and its potential for future expansion.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry previously stated that the agreement aims to bolster security cooperation amid a turbulent Middle East. The pact, which has reportedly been in development for over two years, will include a ministerial committee and a general secretariat based in Saudi Arabia. Fidan emphasized that the initiative represents modest but concrete steps, aligning with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vision for broader regional security cooperation.

Our president's (Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's) vision is that we do not remain limited to three countries.

— Hakan FidanThe Turkish Foreign Minister elaborated on the long-term goals for the defense agreement.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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