Erdogan eyes expansion of regional defence pact
The so-called Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed on Friday as the Middle East grapples with fallout from the US-Iran war.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that more countries would join the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a defense pact signed last week by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The agreement aims to stabilize the region, which has been tumultuous due to the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. The Turkish leader emphasized that the vision for the pact is not confined to the three founding countries, and the aspiration is for it to expand in the future.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed that Turkey expects Egypt to join the pact in the next stage, provided there are a few technical issues to resolve. Egypt has not yet commented on the agreement or the Foreign Minister's remarks. The pact emerged in response to the new circumstances in the Middle East, with regional players seeking to assume more responsibility for their security and stability.
Erdogan believes that regional issues should be resolved by regional actors and that solutions imposed from outside only lead to disasters. The agreement consolidates three major US allies into an alternative security architecture that rejects Israel's hegemony and seeks to enhance security cooperation and develop joint defense projects.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
