Saudi Arabia had initially objected to Egypt’s inclusion in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Ankara made significant efforts to include Egypt in the alliance, but ultimately failed.
Turkey was keen to include Egypt in the new defence alliance. However, Saudi Arabia has shown reluctance to include Egypt. The issue comes at a time when talks are underway to strengthen regional cooperation through the ‘R-4’ structure comprising Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Egypt was also hesitant about joining the alliance. A source in Ankara claimed that Cairo’s sensitive relations with Israel played a significant role in this. There was also a fear that if Egypt joined the alliance, it could face pressure from Israel.
On the other hand, the agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan is being seen as an attempt to create a new security framework in the Middle East in the context of the rapidly changing regional security situation. The recent conflict with Iran and regional countries’ concerns about US security guarantees have also played a role in such cooperation.
However, the three countries have said that this defense agreement is not aimed at any specific country. Its purpose is to strengthen mutual security, defense cooperation and regional stability. Although Egypt did not join the alliance, the country has recently been working closely with other Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and others, on various regional issues. The foreign ministers of these countries also recently issued joint statements on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestine issue.
Egypt’s absence from the Mecca agreement has raised new questions about whether the defense alliance will expand in the future. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously spoken of the possibility of adding new countries to the alliance, but news of Saudi Arabia’s objection to Egypt’s membership has sparked new discussions in regional diplomacy.
It is worth noting that the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the ‘Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement’ in Mecca on August 7. The main principle of the agreement is that an attack on any of the three member countries will be considered an attack on all. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan compared the agreement to NATO’s Article 5.
