Turkey urges Egypt to join its defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

NewsTurkey urges Egypt to join its defence pact with Saudi Arabia and PakistanFrom left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 7 August 2026.   -   Copyright © africanews AP PhotoBy Rédaction Africanews with APLast updated: 14/08 - 12:06TurkeyTurkey has urged Egypt to join a defence agreement it signed in Mecca last week with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Although details still need to be fleshed out, its central feature stipulates that an attack on any of the three states will be treated as an attack on all. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hopes more countries would join the deal aimed at stabilising a region wracked by conflict.Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said the alliance was not against anyone. "It merely underlines our commitment to one another’s security, sovereignty, and prosperity, while enhancing regional ownership,” he said. While Egypt has robust military cooperation with Ankara, its foreign minister says Cairo must first conduct an in-depth study of the defence pact's "legal and constitutional considerations". "When it comes to cooperation in defence fields, there are legal obligations in this regard,” said Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty. The signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement comes as the Middle East grapples with fallout from the US-Iran war. It has dragged in regional players and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. The five-month conflict has upended the security architecture in the region and forced a rethink of decades of conventional wisdom rooted in US military supremacy. Since the onset of the war, Saudi Arabia has grown closer to Turkey, with whom it previously had fraught ties.You may also likeHaiti mourns victims of Kenscoff gang attack as fear grips community 4 minutes ago01:14Spain PM Pedro Sanchez rules out Moroccan role in Ceuta migrant surge 16 minutes ago01:10Algeria moves to restore death penalty for deliberate forest fires 38 minutes agoFrom the same country01:15Trump lashes out at NATO allies for not supporting the US war in Iran 08/07 - 17:4701:02Niger's General Tchiani welcomed by President Erdogan during state visit to Turkey 04/06 - 22:1501:35Iran beat The Gambia in World Cup friendly as team waits for US visas 30/05 - 12:26View moreShareMore About Turkiye (Turkey) Middle East International agreements Saudi Arabia Pakistan EgyptYou may also likeHaiti mourns victims of Kenscoff gang attack as fear grips community 4 minutes ago01:14Spain PM Pedro Sanchez rules out Moroccan role in Ceuta migrant surge 16 minutes ago01:10Algeria moves to restore death penalty for deliberate forest fires 38 minutes agoFrom the same country01:15Trump lashes out at NATO allies for not supporting the US war in Iran 08/07 - 17:4701:02Niger's General Tchiani welcomed by President Erdogan during state visit to Turkey 04/06 - 22:1501:35Iran beat The Gambia in World Cup friendly as team waits for US visas 30/05 - 12:26On the same subjectNEWS01:01US due to cut off UAE branches of Egypt's Banque Misr over Iran ties 29/08 - 16:16NEWS00:57China's President Xi to hold talks with Egyptian counterpart in Cairo 26/08 - 14:20NEWS01:13Egypt: Sufi muslims celebrate Mawlid al-Nabawi in Cairo 25/08 - 22:53THIS IS CULTURE01:30US returns dozens of smuggled artifacts from three different eras to Egypt 22/08 - 12:24NEWS01:09China and Egypt launch second joint air force exercise 14/08 - 18:08THIS IS CULTURE02:19Chef preserves Hatay's culinary heritage after devastating earthquake 12/08 - 19:15More stories01:25General Abdourahamane TchianiCalm returns to Niger's capital one day after failed army mutiny 7 hours ago01:02CoupVote counting underway in Guinea-Bissau referendum that could expand presidential powers 6 hours ago00:56United KingdomNotting Hill Carnival kicks off in a burst of colour and Caribbean tradition 2 hours agoRead the full article at Africanews