Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with state news agency Anadolu.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Aug. 8 he expected Egypt and other countries to join a joint defense agreement with regional partners designed to stabilize the region that is grappling with the Middle East war.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the agreement on Aug. 7 against the backdrop of war between the United States and Iran, which has drawn in surrounding nations and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
The war has emboldened Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen, both of which have attacked Saudi Arabia, and a drone last month hit U.S. assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean.Fidan told state news agency Anadolu he expected Egypt to join the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement,” calling the country a “natural partner on all issues.”
“I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members,” he said in an interview.
“There are a few technical issues. Once these are implemented, there is no reason for Egypt not to be part of it.”
Fidan said the agreement does not target a specific country.
“There is no common threat that we have put in writing,” he said, according to the news agency.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said earlier the pact meant an attack on any member would be regarded as an attack on all, adding it was “intended to strengthen collective deterrence.”
In the interview, Fidan said the agreement was “the most important step toward bringing lasting stability to this region,” and suggested the alliance could expand further.
“Under our president’s vision, we should not remain limited to three countries. We should grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella,” he said.
The minister described the agreement’s clause on mutual defense as being “technically the same” as NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack on one of the 32 members is considered an attack on them all.
Asked how the mechanism would work, Fidan said a member would need to formally request help and that the other two countries’ assistance could range from intelligence sharing to logistic support — or the deployment of military units depending on the threat.
“These are multi‑layered matters that vary according to the scale of the threat,” Fidan said. “This is the perspective we have set out so far in our work.”
The Turkish top diplomat said other nations — which he did not name — have expressed interest in joining the agreement.
Under the deal, the foreign and defense ministers of the three countries, along with their military chiefs, would hold regular committee meetings. The three countries would also establish a secretariat, to be based in Saudi Arabia, Fidan said.
Türkiye has consistently promoted regional ownership to resolve mounting local challenges, aiming to keep external powers from intervening in regional affairs.
“The Makkah Agreement does not represent a departure from any existing alliance or agreement. It complements existing alliances, strengthens regional security and provides a framework for cooperation open to other countries in the region,” Turkish sources said.
According to the officials, Türkiye’s NATO membership and regional partnerships are not alternatives to each other.
“The Makkah agreement is... a complementary arrangement that contributes to regional security,” the sources said.
