Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan Sign Defense Agreement for Regional Stability

Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, stated that a new defense agreement involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey is meant to enhance regional stability, not to target Iran or any specific nation. This statement came after the leaders of the three countries signed the pact in Mecca.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commits the three countries to view an attack on one as an attack on all. The pact unites Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth, Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, and Turkey’s significant NATO-aligned military.

Fidan emphasized that no particular state is seen as an adversary unless it displays hostility. “Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us,” he clarified in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

The mutual defense clause is comparable to NATO’s Article 5, where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. If a member requests help, assistance could range from intelligence sharing to deploying military forces, depending on the threat’s scale.

Fidan mentioned interest from unnamed nations in joining the pact and expects Egypt to join in the future. Regular committee meetings involving foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs are planned, with a secretariat based in Saudi Arabia.