Erdogan hints Egypt may join Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled that Egypt could become the next member of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, a collective security pact signed in Mecca on August 7 by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Erdogan said bringing Egypt into the bloc would be a natural step to strengthen regional stability. Egyptian officials had participated in preparatory talks with the three founding members before the summit, according to timesnownews.com.

The pact commits members to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all. India is examining the agreement's implications, with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying New Delhi will take all necessary measures to safeguard national interests. Former UK minister Rory Stewart told businesstoday.in that the alliance lacks NATO-style military integration and coordination, and questioned whether Saudi Arabia would want to be drawn into a conflict with India. He said the pact has no US imprint and should worry Washington. Indian media, Stewart noted, have responded cautiously, apparently signalling that New Delhi does not see the agreement as Riyadh abandoning India.