Erdogan says Makkah defence pact could expand across region
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the vision behind the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan extends beyond the three signatories and could eventually include other regional countries.
Erdogan said the agreement was designed to strengthen collective security and promote lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region. He stressed that the pact was not directed against any particular country.
Speaking in an interview with an Arab newspaper, Erdogan said the three countries wanted to create a broader regional framework based on cooperation, mutual trust and collective responsibility.
He said countries that support peace, stability and prosperity should be able to join the framework in the future.
According to Erdogan, the agreement is based on the principle of collective deterrence. A security threat against one member would be treated as a concern for the other members.
He said the arrangement could also encourage joint defence-industry projects and greater cooperation against terrorism.
Erdogan argued that regional countries should take greater responsibility for addressing their own security challenges rather than relying on solutions imposed from outside the region.
He described the agreement as the outcome of long-running consultations among the participating countries and said it reflected changing conditions in the region.
The Turkish president also rejected the idea that the pact was simply a response to tensions between the United States and Iran. He said its broader objective was to establish a durable mechanism for regional security.
Focus on Gulf security
Erdogan said the agreement could contribute to stability in the Gulf, which he described as vital to international trade and the global economy.
He highlighted the importance of energy supplies, maritime routes and trade links passing through the region.
He also expressed concern over tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, warning that prolonged disruption there could have consequences for economies around the world.
Erdogan called for restraint and continued diplomatic engagement to ensure the waterway remains safe for international shipping.
He said Türkiye preferred dialogue and negotiations over military escalation and believed diplomatic efforts were essential to resolving disputes in the region and beyond.
The Makkah agreement formalises growing strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The three countries describe the arrangement as defensive and aimed at strengthening collective deterrence rather than creating an offensive military bloc.
Erdogan said stronger cooperation between Ankara and Riyadh would also contribute to regional stability. He pointed to expanding ties in defence, trade, investment, energy and tourism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the trilateral agreement as an extension of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s existing defence cooperation.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had earlier signed a strategic mutual defence agreement under which aggression against either country would be treated as aggression against both.
The latest trilateral framework builds on those longstanding security ties and introduces Türkiye into a wider mechanism for defence cooperation.
