- Erdogan said the agreement has sent an important message to the world, and that Egypt's participation was among the options being considered for the pact's future expansion.
- Officials in Islamabad have pushed back against characterising the pact as a NATO equivalent or as being aimed at any particular country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opened the door for Egypt to join the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a pact signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, which commits signatories to collective defense. Erdogan described Egypt's accession as "possible" and emphasized the agreement's openness to further members.12
The agreement, signed last Friday in Mecca, includes a collective-deterrence clause that treats an armed attack against any signatory as an attack against all, akin to NATO's Article 5. Erdogan stated, "This agreement has sent an important message to the world," highlighting its significance in regional security.
However, officials in Islamabad have pushed back against characterizing the pact as a NATO equivalent, asserting that it is not aimed at any specific country. This distinction is crucial as the agreement seeks to foster regional cooperation without direct confrontation with other nations.3
Erdogan's remarks were made during an interview with Al Jazeera, set to air on Sunday, where he elaborated on the potential for expanding the agreement to include more nations, thereby enhancing collective security in the region.
“In an Al Jazeera interview set to air Sunday, Erdogan said the pact 'has sent an important message to the world.' Islamabad officials, however, have pushed back against characterizing it as a NATO equivalent or aimed at any particular country.”
