Turkey Says Saudi Pakistan Defence Pact Is Not Directed Against Iran

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that a new defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey was not directed against Iran or any other country, describing the pact as an important step toward strengthening regional stability.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on Friday.

The agreement states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all three, establishing a framework for closer military and security cooperation.

The pact brings together oil rich Saudi Arabia, nuclear armed Pakistan and Turkey, which has one of NATO’s largest militaries and a rapidly expanding domestic defence industry. It comes amid heightened regional uncertainty following the conflict involving Iran and the United States.

Turkey Says Iran Is Not the Target

In an interview with Turkey’s state run Anadolu Agency, Fidan said the three countries had not identified any particular state as a common adversary.

“We don’t have anything written down, nothing we’ve signed, that defines a common threat,” Fidan said. “Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us.”

Fidan said the mutual defence provision was technically similar to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, under which an attack against one member is treated as an attack against all members.

He said, however, that the response under the new agreement would depend on the nature and scale of any threat.

A country seeking assistance would first have to formally request support, after which the other two members could provide assistance ranging from intelligence sharing and logistical support to the deployment of military forces.

“These are multi layered matters that vary according to the scale of the threat,” Fidan said.

Other Countries May Join

Fidan said several other countries had expressed interest in joining the agreement, although he did not identify them.

He said Egypt was expected to participate at a later stage, describing Cairo as a “natural partner” for the security arrangement.

The agreement provides for regular meetings involving the three countries’ foreign and defence ministers as well as their military chiefs.

The countries will also establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia to coordinate the implementation of the pact and facilitate continued defence cooperation.

The agreement marks a significant expansion of security ties between the three countries as regional powers seek stronger mechanisms for cooperation amid growing geopolitical tensions across the Middle East.