Saudi Arabia Says Defense Pact with Türkiye and Pakistan Poses No Threat to Region
The Saudi official said the agreement aims to strengthen joint defense capabilities and strategic deterrence without creating a new military or sectarian bloc.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A Saudi official said Friday that a joint defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan does not pose a threat to other countries in the region, describing it instead as an effort to strengthen defense capabilities and strategic deterrence among the three countries.
On Friday, Raed Qarmali, Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister, said the agreement was not intended to create a military or sectarian bloc, but to build sustainable and independent defense capabilities while avoiding any increase in regional tensions.
Qarmali said the agreement, known as the “Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense,” was signed by the leaders of the three countries and is primarily aimed at developing joint defense capabilities and strategic deterrence to confront any threat to their territories and security.
The Saudi official also clarified that the agreement is not connected to other Saudi strategies and would not replace any other international or regional agreement.
The comments came after Saudi and Pakistani media reported on Friday, that the agreement had been signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The agreement was named the “Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense.”
The agreement comes as a war continues between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other, with the conflict having had a deep impact on regional alliances.
It also coincides with renewed tensions between Riyadh and Yemen’s Houthis after a Houthi missile attack on southern Saudi Arabia left 11 people injured.
Defense experts said the strengthening of the alliance between Saudi Arabia, which has significant economic and oil resources, Türkiye, a major NATO member, and Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country, represents a clear indication of a reshaping of international and regional relations amid the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.
The main alliance grouping of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, and Pakistan, together with Qatar, has played a significant role in mediation and the exchange of messages between Washington and Tehran since the escalation began on Feb. 28, with the stated aim of stopping the war and containing the tensions.
The Saudi position emphasizes that the new defense arrangement is intended to strengthen the defense capabilities of its signatories without creating a new military or sectarian axis or replacing existing international and regional agreements.