The trilateral defense alliance established by Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will play a key role in assuming responsibility for regional peace and stability, the Turkish top diplomat has said, informing that comprehensive work for the institutionalization of the Mecca Defense Alliance has already begun.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to the media after the first Strategic Political and Defense Committee meeting with the participation of defense and foreign ministers as well as chief of general staffs of three countries in Istanbul on Aug. 31.
“With today’s first meeting... we have demonstrated our readiness to assume responsibility for regional peace, security and stability. We will continue to maintain close cooperation and coordination with friendly countries, particularly Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” Fidan told reporters.
He recalled that the leaders of three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on Aug. 7, in light of the principle of “regional ownership.”
“It has become an urgent need for the countries of the region to act together for security, stability, prosperity and lasting peace, and to give an institutional character to the steps they take in this direction,” he said. “With this agreement, the process of establishing a new security and cooperation architecture in our region has thus begun.”
One of the decisions the first meeting of the committee was to name the alliance as “Mecca Defense Alliance,” Fidan said, underlining once again that the pact is purely defensive and does not target any country.
The alliance will have its permanent secretariat in Riyadh and the first secretary will be from Pakistan, the Turkish chief diplomat stated, informing that they will continue to work for the institutionalization of the alliance.
HH Alliance open to new members
During the press conference, on a question about the future members of the alliance, Fidan underlined that the pact is formed to enlarge with like-minded regional countries but time is needed for making the alliance ready to grow.
“What is important is the process, standards and conditions of the enlargement,” Fidan said, stressing that the new members should come to an organization whose structure is already well shaped.
“We are currently trying to accomplish the difficult part,” he said, referring to the institutionalization process.
International community should stop Netanyahu
On a question about rising tendency of trying to depict Türkiye as a new strategic threat, Fidan stressed that Ankara has been following this trend as the elections loom in Israel.
“We have been following this from the beginning. Now, first of all, it is necessary to emphasize this: Netanyahu, whom I emphasize, the criminal and genocidal Netanyahu, who has become a common enemy of humanity, the international community and security, is not a person to be taken seriously at this point,” he said.
It would be wrong to think that this is only Türkiye’s problem as Netanyahu and his government are posing a threat to the region and beyond, the minister added.
“Therefore, it is necessary for the international community stop this criminal, this genocidal perpetrator; to prevent this genocidal perpetrator from harming the region, Israel, the Jewish people and the entire world,” he said.
HH A new initiative for Black Sea is needed
During the press conference, Fidan also responded to a question on rising attacks from Russia and Ukraine on the civilian ships at the expense of disrupting maritime security.
“What is at the stake is not only the security of the Black Sea but global food security,” he said, informing that many countries have called on Türkiye to launch a new initiative to secure free flow of wheat and other food products from the region.
“There is ongoing work on our side to this end, and we are in constant contact with both sides.”
