Defense alliance: From three to many: Turkey wants to expand new military pact

The Turkish government intends to expand the recently established Defense Alliance with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to include additional countries, according to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. This expansion aligns with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vision, which asserts that the alliance should grow and potentially encompass all relevant countries in the region.

Several states have already expressed interest in joining, and Fidan believes Egypt may eventually become a member once certain technical hurdles are overcome. Turkey maintains strong relationships with nearly all regional countries, but the alliance's success hinges on establishing an institutional framework to ensure its longevity.

The "historic" agreement represents a milestone towards long-term stability in a region plagued by instability since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922. The alliance of Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, known as the "Mekka Defense Pact," was established in the Saudi Arabian city of Mekka on Friday, aimed at providing mutual support and safeguarding shared security interests.

Under the pact, any armed attack on one member country would be considered an attack on all three. The specifics of the alliance's content and the nature of reciprocal assistance in the event of an attack have not been disclosed. Fidan draws a comparison to the Article 5 mutual defense clause of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which obliges NATO member states to provide mutual support in the face of external aggression.

Each member country of the "Mekka Defense Pact" could request various forms of support depending on the threat level, ranging from intelligence assistance to logistical and munition support, as well as troop deployment. The alliance also aims to facilitate effective joint operations among member states' militaries, despite their differing organizational structures, through reciprocal training exercises, maneuvers, and, most importantly, arms cooperation.