Türkiye said a mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could be expanded to include Egypt. Several countries want to join the trilateral agreement signed in Mecca on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state-run Anadolu Agency, saying only technical matters stood in the way of them signing up.
The so-called Mecca pact, which was formed against the backdrop of the war in Iran, commits members to jointly retaliate against attacks on any of them in the style of NATO’s Article 5. Egypt would bring one of the region’s largest militaries. Pakistan’s involvement also signals ambitions beyond the Middle East: Islamabad’s foreign minister said the accord is open to any regional state willing to uphold its principles.
