Turkey Seeks Expansion of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, a security alliance featuring a Nato style clause stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the vision for the pact is not limited to the three founding nations and expressed hope that more regional countries will eventually join. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan specifically noted that Turkey expects Egypt to join in the next stage, citing only a few technical issues as remaining obstacles. Egypt has not yet commented on the agreement or Fidan's remarks, though Fidan is scheduled to visit Cairo on Thursday and Friday.

The agreement comes as the Middle East deals with the fallout from the US Iran war, which has disrupted shipping in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. Erdogan told the Asharq Al Awsat daily that the pact emerged from new circumstances where regional actors seek to resolve issues away from formulas imposed from the outside. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan affirmed that the pact is entirely for defensive purposes and is intended to promote peace and prosperity.

The agreement has received a positive tone from Iran and has been welcomed by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, as well as Kuwait, Bahrain, and Somalia. While center and center right reports focus on Erdogan's aspirations for regional growth and the defensive nature of the pact, a center lean report emphasizes the competing interests and conflicting accounts regarding why Egypt has remained outside the agreement.