Turkey says Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not directed at Iran

Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan told Anadolu Agency that the defense pact signed on Friday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is not aimed at Iran or any other state. The three nations – Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey – agreed that an attack on one would be treated as an attack on all, creating a “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” that mirrors NATO’s Article 5 mutual-defense clause.

Fidan said the arrangement does not identify a common enemy and that “any country that does not attack us is not a target for us.” He explained that assistance could range from intelligence sharing and logistical support to the deployment of troops, depending on the scale of a threat. Regular meetings of foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs, as well as a secretariat based in Saudi Arabia, will oversee implementation.

The minister added that other countries have shown interest in joining, and he expects Egypt, described as a “natural partner,” to participate in a later phase.