Turkish-Pakistani-Saudi Defense Pact Equivalent to NATO Article 5

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (Wikimedia Commons/Downing Street 10/Simon Dawson)

JAKARTA - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the weekend that the Defense Pact signed by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia is technically the same as the NATO Article 5 joint defense agreement, saying the deal does not target Iran.

Foreign Minister Fidan also said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to see this alliance expanded, with Egypt being one of the potential candidates to join.

President Erdogan, Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the "Makkah Joint Defense Agreement" at Al Safa Palace, Makkah on Friday.

In a joint statement, they said the agreement aimed to strengthen collective deterrence against all forms of aggression and establish that an armed attack against any of the three countries would be considered an attack against all three.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu news agency, Foreign Minister Fidan said the new alliance was not aimed at Iran or any other country, but rather served as a general commitment to support the security of the three allies.

He added that allies would decide through consultations on the level, form, and format of the support needed in the event of an attack, but no country would be considered a threat as long as no member country was attacked, as reported by Al Arabiya and Reuters (10/8).

Turkey, which has the second largest military force in NATO, said the pact was open to being expanded to other countries in the region and was not intended to replace existing alliances.

"NATO is a giant military alliance with 32 countries. We started here with three countries and had to take simple but concrete steps," he said, adding that efforts to complete this pact have been underway for two years and eight months.

He added that a ministerial committee - similar to that in NATO - would be formed as part of this alliance, as would a general secretariat based in Saudi Arabia, but operational details would be determined at the first committee meeting.

"Our president's vision is that this cooperation is not limited to the three countries, but rather expands and unites all countries (in this region) under the same umbrella," he said, adding that Egypt has the potential to join the pact after certain technical issues are resolved.

In recent months, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt have formed a group to discuss regional issues, including those related to the war with Iran.

Turkey stated that the group dubbed R4 aims to strengthen its partnership through concrete mechanisms.

Foreign Minister Fidan also said that Turkey needed to be involved in an international coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, because shipping safety was related to Ankara's interests.