Mecca Defence Alliance Opens Doors to Other Muslim Nations

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have officially named their new joint defence pact as the Mecca Defence Alliance. The name was announced in Istanbul following a meeting of senior officials from the three nations on Monday.

“A secretariat has been established in Riyadh, and the first Secretary-General will be appointed from among our brothers in Pakistan,” stated Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fines during a press conference following the meeting.

Fidan stated that the alliance is based on “international principles, such as respect for the sovereignty of other states, territorial integrity, and non-interference in domestic affairs,” and remains “open to partnership and the participation of any other country” in the region.

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the agreement remains open to other nations. On 9 August, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar noted that the agreement is defensive in nature and does not replace existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements.

Fidan expressed that Ankara intends to expand the framework in the future to include more than its three founding members.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on 15 August, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the joining of Cairo is “possible,” noting that the pact remains open to new members.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty subsequently stated that Cairo is considering the constitutional and legal aspects before deciding whether to join. This statement is widely interpreted as a reference to Egypt’s existing treaty commitments in other parts of the region.

Within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) environment, former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani has openly urged the six member states to join.

Bangladesh has shown the most overt interest. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir stated that Dhaka has expressed interest in the deal, noting that it would not be unusual for an Islamic nation to join such an arrangement.

Egypt had previously participated in four-party security talks alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, but did not participate in the signing on 7 August.

Meanwhile, regarding Iran, reports have emerged that the country has received an invitation to participate in the Mecca Defence Alliance. However, these reports have not yet been confirmed by an official government statement.