Erdogan eyes expansion of regional defence pact

Erdogan hopes to broaden a defense pact involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed just last week, and Erdogan spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, expressing that the goal extends beyond the initial three nations. He hopes that, one day, all countries in the region will join under the pact's umbrella.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made a similar statement on Saturday, telling the Anadolu news agency that Egypt is expected to join in the next phase. However, Fidan mentioned that only a few technical issues stand in the way. Egypt has not commented on the pact or Fidan's remarks; a visit by Fidan to Cairo is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Although Cairo shares robust military cooperation with Ankara, there is no indication that Egypt intends to sign up to the new security alliance, which includes a NATO-style clause stating that an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all. Middle East Eye, based on Saudi sources, reported that Riyadh opposes Egypt's inclusion in the pact despite Erdogan's push for Cairo to be part of the security alliance.

Erdogan stated that the pact emerged from the "new circumstances" in the Middle East with regional players seeking to assume greater responsibility for their own security and stability. He added, "Regional issues should be resolved by regional actors, and with this action, we consider that we have taken a first step toward achieving that goal."

He emphasized that "resolving regional issues must be carried out away from formulas imposed from the outside," explaining, "We know very well that solutions imported from abroad only bring disasters."