Erdogan eyes expansion of Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defense pact

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he hopes more countries will join the defense pact signed last week between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement aims to stabilize a region shaken by the US-Iran war, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

What is the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement?

The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement is a security pact signed on Friday by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It includes a NATO-style clause that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. The three countries describe it as a step toward greater defense cooperation, open to other regional nations.

Why does Erdogan want more countries to join?

Erdogan told the London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat daily that the pact's vision is "not limited to the three countries." He said he hopes conditions will eventually allow all countries in the region to join under its umbrella. The comments came as Turkey positions the agreement as a foundation for wider regional security cooperation.

Will Egypt join the defense pact?

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that Turkey expects Egypt to join the pact "in the next stage." He told the Anadolu state news agency that only "a few technical issues" remain before Cairo signs on. Egypt has not commented on the agreement or on Fidan's remarks, and Fidan is due to visit Cairo on Thursday and Friday. Cairo maintains strong military ties with Ankara but has given no public sign that it intends to join the new alliance.

How has the US-Iran war reshaped the region?

The five-month US-Iran war has upended the region's security architecture and forced a rethink of the conventional wisdom built on US military supremacy. Erdogan said the pact grew out of these "new circumstances," with regional players seeking greater responsibility for their own security. "Regional issues should be resolved by regional actors, and with this action, we consider that we have taken a first step toward achieving that goal," he said. He added that solutions imposed from outside the region "only bring disasters."

The pact consolidates three major US allies into an alternative security structure that rejects Israel's regional dominance. Erdogan said it will also open the way for joint projects in the defense industries. Saudi Arabia has grown closer to Turkey since the war began, and Erdogan said Ankara and Riyadh would "take steps that will elevate relations between the two countries to much higher levels," though he gave no further detail.