Erdogan says Makkah Defense Agreement vision not limited to three countries

ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that the vision behind the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement extends well beyond Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, expressing hope that other regional states could eventually join the pact, reported the Arabic-language daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

"Our vision is not limited to three countries," said Erdogan, who responded to written questions submitted to him by Asharq Al-Awsat following his signing of the "Makkah Joint Defense Agreement" with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Makkah last week. 

In his responses, the Turkish President stated that "it is a mistake to reduce the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement to being viewed as a mere situational reflection" of the escalation between the US and Iran. 

He added that Ankara wanted to see the framework expanded "one day" to include all countries in the region.

He said the agreement was open to "all brotherly countries that seek peace, prosperity, and stability in our region."

"The security of one of us is the security of all of us."

Describing the agreement as rooted in "collective deterrence," Erdogan said it was designed to deepen security and defense cooperation among its signatories, open the door to joint defense-industry projects, and reinforce cooperation against terrorism. 

The Turkish president said that regional countries should take greater responsibility for their own security, stability and future, arguing that challenges facing the region were best addressed by its own countries and peoples.

“The problems of the region should be resolved by the region’s own actors,” he said.

On the Gulf, Erdogan said the agreement was expected to help bolster security in a region he "as critical to global energy supplies and trade routes". 

Erdogan characterized Turkiye's relationship with Saudi Arabia as "a strategic relationship rooted in shared history, close bonds and mutual interests," saying he expected the Makkah Agreement to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries, particularly in defense.

Makkah Joint Defense Agreement

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement on Friday, stating that "an attack on any one of the three nations will be treated as an attack on all".

The agreement was signed during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defense, hosted by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah. 

The pact is guided by the "longstanding historical ties" among the three countries, their "enduring bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity," and their shared strategic interests and defense cooperation, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.