Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activate Makkah pact amid Houthi attacks: Is this NATO of the Middle East?
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have activated the Makkah defence pact amid renewed Houthi attacks. Touted as a “Muslim NATO”, the pact faces questions over whether its members share enough strategic interests for a NATO-style collective response.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey convened in Riyadh on Monday to activate their Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in response to Houthi attacks. The activation comes amid escalating regional tensions and follows emergency talks among senior officials from the three nations. While the agreement bears similarities to NATO's collective defense clause, analysts warn that the comparison may be misleading.
The pact, modeled partly on NATO's Article 5 principle, does not automatically convert the three nations into a military alliance, as their strategic priorities and threat perceptions differ. CISES notes that Saudi Arabia's primary concern is Iran and the Houthis, Turkey's encompasses a multidirectional threat perception, and Pakistan considers India its principal security concern.
The activation of the pact is its first major test following the renewed escalation involving Iran-aligned Houthis.
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