A defense agreement involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey is not aimed at Iran or any other nation, stated the Turkish Foreign Minister. He described the pact as a crucial step toward regional stability. The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the holy city of Mecca.
The terms of the ‘Makkah Joint Defense Agreement’ declare that an attack on one is considered an attack on all three. This agreement unites oil-rich Saudi Arabia, nuclear-armed Pakistan, and Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO alongside a rapidly growing defense industry. It enhances cooperation and deterrence amid increasing regional uncertainty and threats emerging from the war in Iran.
In an interview with Turkey’s state agency Anadolu, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that the three countries do not view any state as an adversary unless it acts aggressively towards them. ‘We have nothing in writing—nothing we have signed—that defines a common threat,’ Fidan said. ‘Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us.’
The Turkish minister noted the defense agreement’s mutual defense clause is ‘technically the same’ as NATO’s Article 5, stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Fidan explained that when a mechanism is required, a member must formally request assistance, which may include intelligence sharing, logistical support, or military deployment depending on the threat level.
‘These are multi-layered issues that change with the scale of the threat,’ he added. ‘Our approach has been shaped by this standpoint so far.’
Fidan mentioned that other nations, without naming them, have shown interest in joining the agreement. He anticipates that Egypt, described as a ‘natural partner,’ could be involved ‘in the next phase.’ Under the agreement, the foreign and defense ministers, along with military leaders of the three countries, will hold regular meetings. A headquarters will be established in Saudi Arabia, as explained by Fidan.