Makkah defence pact may expand as Egypt emerges as potential member
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement could expand to include other regional countries, with Egypt emerging as a potential member. The pact was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on Friday and establishes a collective defence principle under which an armed attack on one member would be treated […]
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye, establishes a collective defence principle where an armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Egypt could join the pact once several technical issues are resolved. According to Fidan, Egypt is considered a "natural partner" on regional issues.
Fidan explained that the agreement is similar to NATO's Article 5 mutual defence agreement, which obliges allies to take action to assist a country under attack. The Makkah defence pact stipulates general commitments, with practical implementation depending on discussions and decisions by relevant bodies. A country would need to make a request for assistance.
The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence in the region. Fidan said there is no common threat specified in the pact and that it does not target a specific country. The alliance will have a Saudi-based secretariat. According to the Daily Times, Fidan mentioned that the pact could expand to include other regional countries, with Egypt emerging as a potential member.
Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Dawn, Free Malaysia Today, Haaretz — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Makkah defence pact may expand as Egypt emerges as potential member dailytimes.com.pk
