Fidan says pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan 'most important step' for regional stability through collective defense, greater 'regional ownership' (AA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is technically the same as Article 5 of the NATO Treaty concerning collective defense.
Speaking at the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency's Editor's Desk program, Fidan said the agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan aims to contribute to lasting stability in the region.
"There is no common threat that we have put in writing," Fidan said, adding that the agreement does not target any country that does not attack its signatories.
Fidan said discussions on the initiative began before the current war environment, when there was no Iran-U.S.-Israel war, but Türkiye anticipated that American security concerns in the region would change, other developments would emerge and its fight against terrorism would remain on the agenda.
He stressed that Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are not expansionist countries.
"Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, when you look at their foreign policy positions, are not countries that have expansionist policies. They are countries concerned with their own borders, their own problems and their development, and, if possible, they want to contribute positively to their environment through good relations and good neighborliness," he said.
Fidan said the three countries have different styles and capacities, but when brought together, they naturally form a defense-oriented organization rather than an offensive one.
"Now, when we come together with these countries, naturally we are becoming a defense-oriented organization. It is not an approach of going on the offensive and saying, 'Let's do this or that together.' Therefore, unless it is attacked by a country, whether from inside or outside the region, this alliance cannot have any dispute with any country. But, of course, the power composition we have put forward will make a constructive contribution to regional stability," he said.
Fidan said that was the reason for advancing the initiative and stressed that Iran was not the target of the agreement.
He added that countries that do not attack the signatories are not considered targets.
Fidan said the alliance had been examined closely from legal, political and strategic perspectives and that Türkiye saw no problem with the framework. He also noted that NATO countries had previously concluded similar agreements.
"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 Mecca Agreement is the most important step toward bringing lasting stability to this region," Fidan said, adding that the region has experienced instability in the past century since the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire.
Fidan described the signing of the agreement as a "historic day," saying it represented one of the milestones that Türkiye had been pursuing for years under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership.
'Regional ownership is important.'
Fidan said increasing regional ownership of security issues is central to Türkiye's approach.
“External hegemons coming into the region do not solve the problems; they make them more acute, and the cost becomes very high,” he said, arguing that regional countries should develop more institutional mechanisms through which they can ensure their own security, economic stability, development and prosperity.
Fidan said Türkiye has strong relations with almost all countries in the region. “But these were relations that were largely shaped by the prevailing circumstances, political perceptions and understandings, and could change at any moment.
He said Ankara seeks to make its regional ties more lasting and structured to promote stability, stressing that lasting economic integration requires security and mutual trust.
Citing the EU as an example, Fidan said the European Economic Community takes shape in the environment provided by the American security umbrella.
He said Türkiye’s regional vision similarly seeks to reduce instability and eventually foster greater economic and social integration, improving the prosperity of regional populations.
Fidan acknowledged that the initiative is at an early stage and will not be easy to establish, but said Türkiye has already completed the conceptual and institutional preparations.
The minister said preparations for the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement had been underway for nearly three years, with talks involving signatories and other regional countries.
He said the process evolved from an initial idea into a concept and ultimately an agreement, while Erdogan also repeatedly raised the issue with regional leaders.
Türkiye 'aware of its responsibilities'
Fidan said the Mecca initiative is not a new phenomenon within NATO and stressed that Türkiye is a country that is aware of its responsibilities.
"Türkiye is also a country that is aware of its responsibilities. We are in no position to keep these different geographies and different priorities in conflict with one another," he said.
He said this was an area that needed to be managed and noted that he raised the issue during a meeting with his German counterpart.
Fidan said Türkiye's objective was based on regional ownership and that Ankara had weight in several strategic locations, adding that there had also been serious discussions about what could be done in terms of a security architecture with Europe.
"Türkiye, by virtue of its geography, has a strategic orientation toward Europe, the broader European geography through the Caucasus, Middle East, Black Sea, Mediterranean and Balkans. Here, you need to develop a perspective for each strategic basin and harmonize these perspectives even if areas of tension emerge," he said.
Türkiye's experience within NATO had shown that Ankara has different geographic conditions from other members, particularly regarding the Middle East and Caucasus, and it has been analyzed, he said.
He said Türkiye's strategic sphere was broad and that each strategic basin had different positions and conditions, requiring separate approaches.
Fidan said Türkiye was seeking to develop security and economic architectures for those areas together with regional countries rather than through a hegemonic approach.
"We are not going with a hegemonic understanding, so we need to do this together with the countries of the region. Following the agreement in the Caucasus, hopefully, there is currently a cease-fire, a cease-fire that is working well. Armenia and Azerbaijan are moving toward a permanent peace agreement, and we support this. While supporting this, we have a security and economic architecture perspective in mind," he said.
Asked whether a similar structure could be established in the Caucasus and Central Asia, Fidan said those arrangements could be built when necessary, noting that some regions could place greater emphasis on economic needs.
He said the Middle East's main problems were currently wars, mutual distrust and conflicts, making it necessary to begin with a security architecture, while Europe was also seeking a new security architecture.
Fidan said European and Middle Eastern security architectures could eventually be harmonized through Türkiye “in the long term, and even in the medium term. The intellectual and conceptual preparations for this have actually been established," he said.
He said both regions ultimately sought security, economic development and the ability to remain competitive, but stressed that such ideas were gradually taking shape and that putting them into practice would take time, with Europe's transformation likely to take longer.
NATO comparison
Pointing out that the agreement imposes obligations on the signatory countries, Fidan noted that Türkiye has been a member of NATO since 1952 and has participated in NATO meetings for many years.
Fidan said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is technically similar to NATO’s Article 5 on collective defense, allowing members to benefit from each other’s protective support.
He said NATO’s core deterrence is defensive, built around the message, "If you attack me, I have the military power of this large alliance.” He said this prevents conflict and enables countries to resolve political and economic problems.
NATO has only taken collective military action in a limited number of cases, including Afghanistan and Kosovo, he added.
He emphasized that the alliance's core purpose is to ensure that potential adversaries understand the consequences of attacking a member, thereby creating an environment in which countries can address their political and economic problems and pursue development without being disrupted by conflict.
Fidan stressed that violence, war and bloodshed are among the main factors preventing regional development.
“We are now in solidarity with each other,” Fidan said, explaining the principle behind the alliance.
“You increase your deterrence capability. Secondly, rather than sending a message to an outside party, countries signing such alliances demonstrate and commit that they will not pose a threat to each other’s security, but instead guarantee each other’s security,” he said.
Fidan said this was the starting point of a security alliance, adding that the members would subsequently need to work according to existing threats.
Asked whether an attack would immediately trigger an obligation under the agreement and how such an obligation would become operational, Fidan said the text contains general commitments whose practical implementation would depend on discussions and decisions by relevant bodies.
He said a country would need to make a request for assistance and would determine the type of support it needs.
Fidan added that a country could request different forms of support, ranging from intelligence and logistics to ammunition or, if necessary, military units, depending on the scale of the threat.
He said the alliance would have a political and military committee comprising foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of general staff, similar to NATO structures.
The committee would translate the vision set by the leaders into decisions within the alliance and carry out related work, while a secretariat would be established to implement those decisions, he added.
Defense industry cooperation among leaders' key topics
“The issue discussed most among the leaders yesterday was cooperation in the defense industry and countries benefiting from each other’s technologies,” Fidan said.
He added that the alliance would go beyond the signing of the agreement, with a secretariat overseeing defense-related issues and monitoring implementation of decisions.
“As the signatures have only just been put on the agreement, we have not started this work yet,” Fidan said, adding that after the first committee meeting, ministers would likely present proposals to the leaders on the establishment, structure and functioning of the secretariat, as well as its initial tasks.
He said the alliance would cover a broad range of military issues, including interoperability, or the ability of countries with different military structures to operate together.
Other areas would include joint training, mutual support, logistics, threat assessments, intelligence sharing and, most importantly, defense industry cooperation.
He described the alliance as a serious institutional undertaking requiring continuity, saying its work would eventually become routine.
“Countries will not find themselves in a situation where, when they are under pressure, they ask, ‘What were we going to do together?’” he said.
Fidan stressed the importance of institutionalizing foreign policy and security cooperation rather than leaving success to chance.
“We should not leave success in foreign policy or any other area to chance. We need to institutionalize it and make it continuous,” he said.
Fidan said countries should build alliances around shared interests, describing Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as the “core countries” of the initiative.
Fidan said a single strategic political and military committee had been established, bringing together the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff.
He said the committee would meet at certain intervals during the year and that a permanent secretariat would be established in Saudi Arabia. The structure, functioning and additional units of the secretariat would be determined in discussions among the members.
Fidan said joint exercises and training would be necessary to establish the ability of the countries to operate together.
"Because after a while you will see that when you find yourselves in a common combat scenario, how your weapons systems and communications systems will communicate with one another and how they will be compatible are important issues. These are the things that will be done after the secretariat is established," he said.
He said standards would need to be developed and that analyses and assessments would also be carried out, noting that the alliance had a substantial amount of work ahead.
Fidan compared the planned structure with NATO's much larger secretariat and military headquarters in Brussels, describing NATO as a very large military alliance.
Mecca Agreement, Red Sea security
Fidan said Saudi Arabia had invited the chiefs of general staff of 40 countries to a meeting on Red Sea security.
He said Saudi Arabia framed the issue in terms of global trade security and the security of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait rather than asking countries to help with its bilateral problem with the Houthis.
"The Saudis actually brought the issue up in terms of global trade security and the security of Bab el-Mandeb. They did not turn it into a situation of saying, 'Come and help me with my bilateral problem with the Houthis,'" he said.
Fidan said Türkiye's participation was also directly linked to its commercial interests.
He said the closure of the Red Sea trade route would directly affect Türkiye's interests, while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would not have a similarly direct effect on Türkiye's energy supplies because Ankara had secured its energy routes through pipelines over many years.
He said Türkiye's military interest in Red Sea security was therefore natural, while the international community was discussing measures for the area. Erdogan had given the approvals, and the chief of general staff was participating in the meetings.
Fidan also stressed that Türkiye needed a broader strategic perspective because the Red Sea opens into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
"The most important country in the Mediterranean—who is it? We are. There are major ports and commercial activity. Cargo ships traveling from one place to another in the Mediterranean inevitably stop at ports. Therefore, if there is an initiative there, of course we need to be there to have a say. There is nothing more normal than that," he said.
Türkiye's 'mediation' role
Asked whether Türkiye's participation in a defense alliance could affect its role as a mediator, Fidan said being a NATO member had not prevented Türkiye from mediating between Russia and Ukraine.
"Russia has an allergy to NATO. It is also at war with Ukraine. Türkiye is a NATO member country. Many NATO countries support Ukraine, but there is no problem with acting as a mediator. This is somewhat about where you stand as a country and how you work," Fidan said.
He said confidence in Erdogan's political leadership was also important and that he saw no obstacle to Türkiye serving as a mediator when the parties believed it was the appropriate intermediary.
Saudi Arabia-Iran tensions
Fidan said Saudi Arabia did not have a strategy aimed at attacking or eliminating Iran.
He said Riyadh did not want to fight Iran or eliminate it and instead wanted the violence around the Strait of Hormuz to end as soon as possible, and conveyed to the U.S. that military intervention against Iran was not a solution.
Fidan said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated that position during their recent meeting in Mecca and that the same position had been conveyed in discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump.
He said Saudi Arabia favored resolving the issue through dialogue and an agreement, rather than military intervention.
He stressed that alliances alone could not prevent countries from suffering the consequences of regional wars.
"You have to be deterrent enough not to be attacked. But problems need to be managed in different ways," Fidan said.
Fidan said the Saudi-Iran issue was not simply a matter of the two countries having a dispute, adding that the involvement of the U.S. and Israel had also contributed to the emergence of the problem.
He said Türkiye had discussed the issue with Iranian officials for more than two years and maintained that Iran could play a constructive role in regional cooperation once it addressed its own problems.
"Two years ago — we have been discussing this in the region. There were also periods when we discussed these issues with the Iranians. When Iran solves its own problems in the region, when it needs to contribute to the region's constructive policies and enter that collective sphere, its role is also needed. We always tell them this; the Iranians are not unfamiliar with this issue," Fidan said.
Fidan also said the alliance would draw lessons from existing models, particularly NATO, describing it as the most significant enduring large-scale defense organization outside of which few comparable examples exist.
He said NATO offered a major body of experience from which the new alliance could learn, particularly in terms of best practices.
Institutional structure of Mecca Alliance
Fidan noted that political and military strategic decisions would be taken through the ministers' committees and said the structures had been combined into a single strategic political and military committee.
"A strategic political and military committee has been established. The foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff are members," Fidan said.
He said decisions taken by the committee would be based on the vision established by the leaders.
Fidan said the committee would meet at certain times of the year and that a general secretariat would be established in Saudi Arabia.
He said the details of its structure and functioning would be discussed at the first meeting and that the members would later decide what additional units would be created.
Third-country participation in the Mecca Agreement
Fidan said other countries had expressed interest in joining the agreement, but the founding members had debated how expansion should be handled.
He said some countries that wanted to join asked not to be named.
He said the preferred model was for Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to remain the three core founding countries, responsible for establishing the principles, standards and long-term structure of the alliance, while other countries could join with the approval of the core members.
"Under our president's vision, we should not remain limited to three countries. We should grow," Fidan said.
He said regional countries were now taking responsibility by coming together and taking important steps.
Fidan said the initiative was also broader than the traditional definition of the Middle East because of Pakistan's participation.
He said Pakistan's geographical position meant the initiative went beyond the conventional definition of the Middle East and represented a broader regional perspective.
The alliance is referred to as the "Mecca Alliance" or "Mecca Defense Alliance," he said, adding that its definitive name would become established in time.
Egypt, regional quartet
Fidan said the regional four-country platform that includes Egypt would remain a very important political platform.
He described Egypt as a natural partner in all issues and said he believed Cairo would join the alliance at the next stage once several technical issues were resolved.
"Egypt is already our 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. There are a few technical issues. Once these are implemented, there is no reason for Egypt not to be part of it," he said.
Fidan stressed that the regional quartet would retain its importance and that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia had a disagreement about Egypt's importance.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan said that when the war of attrition extends beyond the front lines, the conflict becomes a matter of national survival.
"You use whatever means you have at your disposal," he said.
Fidan said mediators, particularly the U.S., had observed that neither side was willing to make concessions while both believed they still had military capabilities that could change the situation.
He said that when neither side makes concessions, the war continues to intensify until it creates its own area of concession.
Fidan said both sides appeared to be waiting until they completely exhausted each other before developing the mentality of returning to the negotiating table and making peace.
He noted that Türkiye entered as a mediator during the period of battlefield attrition and that a basis for compromise had emerged.
He said, however, that the sides could not reach an agreement because of disagreements about territory in Donetsk, where Russia had failed to take the remaining area that Fidan said had been estimated at 24%-25% the previous year and 15% that year.
Fidan said when negotiations failed, the war of attrition expanded into a war of destruction that also targeted civilian areas.
Asked whether the conflict could eventually lead Russia to use its "last option," Fidan said if the war of destruction grows further, Russia could use the last option available to it.
He said the issue had also emerged during discussions with Russian counterparts and that Western countries were aware of the danger.
Fidan warned that the war could continue expanding in terms of geography, targets and methods and reach a higher level.
He said European, Russian, American and Ukrainian perceptions and assessments of the war differed and that the principle that "ending the war is above all other interests" had not yet been established.
He added that some parties believed ending the war in its current form would cost them more than allowing it to continue, which was one reason they were unwilling to end it.
U.S.-Iran crisis, Strait of Hormuz
Fidan said the most important priority in the U.S.-Iran crisis was reaching an agreement that would allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.
He noted that an understanding reached between Iran and the U.S. on June 14 through Pakistani mediation initially provided for the release of Iranian frozen assets by the U.S. in exchange for the reopening of the strait and Iran refraining from charging fees for passage through the strategic waterway for 60 days.
Fidan said proposals on the issue had matured and reached a certain point, adding that an outcome could be achieved once the procedural arrangements between Oman and Iran were fully agreed.
He said decision-making processes in Iran could sometimes take longer because of circumstances surrounding its leadership, security threats and accessibility.
Fidan said regional countries, the U.S., Europe and Asian countries all wanted the strait reopened as soon as possible.
"We are talking to the parties as Türkiye. If there is a point in the process where we think it is blocked, we try to open it," he said.
He said the parties were also discussing how passage through the strait would be regulated and that countries bordering the strait could potentially make additional contributions.
'Israel's greatest fear is international isolation'
Fidan said the most important issue for moving to the second phase of the Gaza Peace Plan was Hamas laying down its weapons under certain conditions.
He said Israel had hesitated to begin that process and argued that Israel had never believed Hamas and the Palestinians were capable of solving certain issues diplomatically.
Fidan said Israel had repeatedly postponed the next stage whenever an issue appeared to have been resolved.
He noted that Israel carried out an attack approximately four to five hours after Hamas accepted the proposal, resulting in the deaths of 18 people.
Fidan said it was something Israel had repeatedly done and argued that even strongly pro-Israel Zionist circles increasingly could not find a sentence with which to defend Israel in such circumstances.
He said Palestinians would reward an approach by Hamas that placed the existence of the Palestinian people ahead of the organization's own existence.
Fidan said Israel would continue pursuing those tactics as long as its fundamental objective remained depopulating Gaza of Palestinians, and stressed that political mobilization to prevent this must continue without interruption.
Fidan said Israel's greatest fear was international isolation.
"Until today, with the very broad capabilities it has — capabilities located in other countries — it has used them to create an illusion in the world. There is a political practice built on this illusion that continuously works in Israel's favor, regardless of the circumstances," Fidan said.
He said the world was increasingly seeing the "diabolical difference" between the constructed illusion and reality with its own conscience.
Fidan said it was not simply an ordinary misconception or a matter of correcting an error, but a broader struggle in which people's perceptions had been shaped through a multi-layered, systematic information and illusion campaign.
He said politically aware people living in the region had long understood that, but it was now becoming a major realization for the rest of the world.
Fidan said that as awareness increased, Israel would face greater isolation.
He warned that new stories, provocations and narratives could be created and said governments needed to be prepared.
Black Sea navigation security
Fidan said Türkiye's warnings about attacks affecting Turkish vessels in the Black Sea were unfortunately proving correct.
He said the entire Black Sea had increasingly become an area affected by the war.
"At first, they were hitting military ports and military vessels; now they are hitting all commercial vessels without distinction. Unfortunately, Turkish vessels, whether they are Turkish-owned or Turkish-flagged vessels. are also being affected," he said.
Fidan said foreign-flagged vessels owned by Turkish companies could also be targeted, as could foreign-owned and foreign-flagged vessels carrying Turkish crew members.
He said Türkiye was closely monitoring all of these vessels.
Although Turkish vessels represented a relatively smaller proportion of the ships being targeted, Fidan said the situation nevertheless caused concern in Ankara.
He said Türkiye presented several measures to Erdogan and was implementing them.
Fidan said Türkiye urged both sides to establish a mechanism for a moratorium on attacks, noting that Ukraine had already made a request and that Ankara conveyed it to Russian counterparts.
He warned that both sides were targeting logistics facilities important to each other and described it as highly dangerous.
'Terror-Free Türkiye' process
Fidan said adoption of the framework law was one of the key stages required for the successful completion of the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process.
He acknowledged that the public sometimes has concerns about the issue but said the framework law contains strong provisions providing guarantees.
"The framework law has very well-written provisions that provide guarantees. It has a good language and mechanism. What does that mean? The organization will not be able to benefit from the provisions provided by this law without first laying down its weapons and giving up its capabilities," he said.
Fidan said the organization should have moved toward peace after the major democratic reforms of 2013.
He said after the reforms, including the removal of problems related to identity, the organization should have transitioned to a peaceful path but instead believed that certain regional and international changes and balances would eventually work in its favor.
Fidan said 13 years later, the regional and global environment was no longer favorable to those calculations.
He argued that the organization should become part of Türkiye's democratic environment, which he described as an environment working in everyone's interests.
He said actions by the organization did not benefit Kurds but instead contributed to greater economic losses, instability and insecurity.
Fidan urged the organization to accept the government's extended hand and said the framework law contains verification mechanisms and committees to ensure implementation.
'We will continue working very closely with ASEAN region'
Fidan said Türkiye was trying to conduct its foreign policy in a continuously institutional and structural manner.
He said Türkiye's acceptance as a Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was one of the issues Ankara worked on in the last three years.
Fidan said ASEAN consists of 11 countries and described the region as politically relatively neutral, focused on economic development and markets.
He said there were relatively few major problems in the region apart from the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute and highlighted its economic potential and productivity.
Fidan said Türkiye opened embassies in all ASEAN countries and that Turkish businesspeople were already active and investing in the region.
"Russia, America, China, Britain, France and Canada are all there. It was not acceptable for the Turkish economy not to be a structural partner in such a place," he said.
Fidan said ASEAN previously imposed a moratorium on accepting new dialogue partners because of the number of countries seeking the status.
He said Türkiye's persistent and systematic efforts eventually resulted in its acceptance as a Dialogue Partner.
"As a result of our persistent and systematic efforts, thankfully, this has now been achieved. From now on, we will continue working very closely with the ASEAN region," he said.
Fidan said Türkiye had expanded its foreign policy well beyond its traditional areas and was systematically developing commercial, economic and socio-political relations with Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific.
He said Türkiye should not become trapped by a crisis in its immediate neighborhood and thereby overlook opportunities elsewhere.
"We do not get stuck in one place. That was the mistake of the past in foreign policy-making. The fire in your immediate neighborhood draws you in so much that you inevitably overlook other places where history is flowing. Now, both mentally and structurally and institutionally, you need to have the capacity to manage different crises at the same time and to see and manage crises and opportunities simultaneously. That is what we are doing," he said.
Fidan said a crisis in the Middle East should not prevent Türkiye from pursuing an interest in the Asia-Pacific, and argued that Ankara had developed the institutional maturity, mental awareness and diplomatic skill to avoid being confined to one geographic area.
'Vision put forward by AK Party must continue'
Fidan said Türkiye had made major constructive contributions as a respected actor in addressing vital problems facing the region and the world.
He described it as part of the history of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's foreign policy.
Fidan said the AK Party was established 25 years ago as the world was emerging from the Cold War and preparing for the post-Cold War period, creating a need for a political cadre capable of understanding and positioning Türkiye in the new international environment.
He said the party's approach sought to learn from Türkiye's mistakes while taking into account the country's strategic culture, aspirations and public psychology.
"Türkiye had to get out of the autopilot comfort it felt in its foreign policy during the Cold War. In the post-Cold War period, when friends, enemies, alliances and everything else changed, you could no longer operate on autopilot. You had to operate in free mode, in manual mode. And there, the captain matters. Our nation's greatest advantage here was the emergence of our president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as a leader," Fidan said.
Fidan said Türkiye had to maintain all of its existing objectives while also taking new risks into account, adding that this had proved difficult in Syria, Iraq and the fight against the PKK terrorist organization.
He said Türkiye was not mentally or structurally prepared for the uncertainty that emerged after the Cold War when the AK Party first came to power.
Fidan described Erdogan's leadership as the factor that enabled Türkiye to continue functioning despite major difficulties.
"North is fire, south is fire, east is fire, west is fire, everywhere is fire, and you are navigating this in manual pilot mode with the skill of the captain. This is the AK Party," he said.
Fidan said people in other countries increasingly wanted to take Türkiye's experience as an example.
"Therefore, the vision put forward by the AK Party needs to continue without interruption. The leadership of our president also needs to continue," he said.
Support for Mecca alliance
Fidan said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement had received strong support from countries in the Islamic world, including those that were not members but were nevertheless very pleased with the agreement.
He said there were also supporters in the West who understood the substance of the initiative.
"Especially in the Islamic world, there are many who strongly support this issue. There are also supporters in the West, among those who understand the essence of the matter. The way for the Middle East to cease being a place that produces problems for humanity and the international community and instead become a place that creates added value with everything it possesses is through implementing constructive alliances of this kind," Fidan said.
Fidan said the leadership of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had created significant regional and global expectations and that officials now had the responsibility to fill those expectations professionally.
"Our responsibility, in the positions we hold, is to recognize that the political will put forward by the leadership of the three countries has created a very significant regional and global expectation. We need to fill that expectation very professionally, move forward step by step and make it work. We have begun doing this, and God willing, we will continue," he said.
