The Turkish Defense Ministry said Thursday that a newly signed defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not intended as an alternative or rival to NATO but as a mechanism designed to complement the international security architecture and strengthen regional stability.
The ministry's spokesperson, Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk, said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Aug. 7, aims to institutionalize and deepen existing defense and security cooperation among the three countries.
“The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is not an alternative or rival structure to NATO,” Aktürk told the ministry’s weekly briefing in Ankara. He said the pact is regarded as a complementary mechanism that would contribute to regional security and stability.
The agreement is defensive in nature and does not designate any country as a common enemy or adversary, the ministry underlined.
Under the pact, the three countries plan to establish strategic political and military mechanisms involving their defense and foreign ministers as well as chiefs of general staff or armed forces commanders.
