Turkiye says Mecca defence pact not aimed at Iran

Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have formalized a new trilateral defense pact in Mecca, featuring a mutual defense clause that mirrors NATO's Article 5. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that the agreement is not directed at Iran or any other nation, asserting that countries not attacking the signatories will not be considered targets.

Fidan described the pact as technically similar to NATO's collective defense commitment, where an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. However, he clarified that any response would be contingent on circumstances, requiring the attacked country to request assistance and specify its needs, which could range from intelligence and logistics to military deployment. The alliance will also establish political and military committees and a secretariat in Saudi Arabia, focusing on joint training, intelligence sharing, threat assessments, and military interoperability.

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There is no common threat that we have put in writing.

Discussions also centered on defense industry cooperation, with leaders exploring how the three nations can leverage each other's military technologies. Fidan indicated that preparations for the agreement spanned nearly two years and eight months, suggesting it was not a hasty response to current regional tensions.

Despite Ankara's assurances, some Iranian officials have voiced concerns. Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, questioned the pact's ability to guarantee Saudi security, while another member, Ebrahim Rezaei, dismissed it as a "paper agreement."

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Technically, it is similar to NATO's Article 5.