Saudi defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan sparks UAE backlash

A new defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan has reignited tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi after sparking criticism from prominent Emirati figures. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, commits the three nations to treating an armed attack against one member as an attack against all.

Political analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a former aide to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, has been vocal in his opposition to the agreement. He questioned the logic of the pact, arguing that strengthening Gulf military and political cooperation, rather than expanding it to include countries with questionable credibility, should be the priority. He posed the question of who the shared enemy would be for the alliance, suggesting the UAE had not seriously considered the threat posed by Iran and Israel.

The agreement drew swift pushback from Saudi officials, with Prince Abdulrahman bin Musaid defending the pact as a matter of national sovereignty and questioning why the UAE's academic community seemed particularly concerned about Riyadh's strategic choices. Other Saudi voices, such as Fahad al-Arabi al-Harthi, defended the agreement, stating it was not an alliance seeking a common enemy but rather aimed at building collective capacity for deterrence and defense.

The debate intensified as Abdulla took a more pointed stance, tweeting that "he whose sect is more important than his homeland, there is no safety for him" and "he whose nation, Arab or Islamic, is more important than his homeland, there is no safety for him." He also criticized the UAE's own security partnerships, such as its defence treaty with India and its cooperation with Israel, questioning their moral standing compared to the Saudi-led agreement with Turkey and Pakistan.