{
  "id": 691232,
  "title": "'We aspire for it to grow': Turkiye's Erdogan eyes expansion of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/we-aspire-for-it-to-grow-turkiyes-erdogan-eyes-expansion-of-makkah",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-12T17:36:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2022395/we-aspire-for-it-to-grow-turkiyes-erdogan-eyes-expansion-of-makkah-joint-defence-agreement"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that more nations would join the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, a defence pact signed last week by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The agreement aims to stabilize the region, which has been impacted by the ongoing US-Iran war. Erdogan stated that the vision for the pact extends beyond the initial three countries, hoping for its expansion as suitable conditions emerge. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan indicated that Egypt may join the pact in the near future, pending a few technical considerations. Egypt and Turkey share strong military ties, but Cairo has not yet signaled interest in signing the new security alliance, which includes a NATO-style clause stating that an attack on one member country would be considered an attack on all. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement emerged as a response to the evolving regional security landscape, with Erdogan emphasizing that regional issues should be addressed by regional actors, rather than imposed solutions from outside. The pact has been welcomed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and several other countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, and Somalia. Iran has also expressed a positive stance, advocating for security mechanisms based on cooperation among regional nations.",
  "summary": "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he hoped more countries would join a defence agreement signed last week between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, aimed at stabilising a region wracked by conflict. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on Friday as the Middle East grapples with fallout from the US-Iran war , which has dragged in regional players and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "Erdogan eyes expansion of regional defence pact",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/erdogan-eyes-expansion-of-regional-defence-pact",
        "published": "2026-08-12T12:30:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}