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Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan meet as Ankara pushes for a security pact
Middle East Eye·🕐 1 sa önce·👁 0 görüntülenme
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan meet as Ankara pushes for a security pact Ragip Soylu on Sat, 03/21/2026 - 14:57 Turkish foreign minister says the four countries are exploring how to combine their strengths amid growing regional tensions and the war on Iran From left: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in a picture taken on 19 March 2026 in Riyadh (Handout) Off The foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan held talks in Riyadh on Thursday, on the sideline of a summit of Islamic countries, and discussed ways to combine their strengths for the first time. Turkey has, since last year, been seeking a security pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, a Pakistani minister said in a statement that such a deal had been in the pipeline for nearly a year. Turkish sources familiar with the issue previously told Middle East Eye that Ankara was also trying to bring Egypt into the arrangement. The sources said the agreement would not mirror the guarantees and commitments of Nato, but would instead serve as a security platform to enable greater cooperation in the defence industry and broader defence matters. "We are exploring how, as countries with a certain degree of influence in the region, we can combine our strengths to solve problems," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday. "Above all, we have for some time been saying that the countries of the region should come together, hold discussions and develop ideas. We emphasise regional ownership." (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Fidan added that the countries were discussing the current situation in the region, including the US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran's counterattacks on Gulf countries, and considering what benefits their joint efforts could bring in addressing such challenges. "In principle, we need to recognise this: either we come together and learn to solve our own problems ourselves, or an external hegemon will come and either impose solutions that serve its own interests, or do nothing while preventing others from acting," he said. While Ankara has repeatedly described Israel as the primary instigator of the war with Iran, a joint statement by the participating countries in Riyadh on Thursday strongly criticised Tehran for its attacks on the Gulf. The statement mentioned Israel only briefly, referring to its "expansionist" policy in Lebanon. Will the Iran war trigger a Saudi Arabia-Pakistan mutual defence pact? Read More » "We need to learn to trust one another. We need to act together on certain issues. We need to be able to adopt a common stance," Fidan said. He added that Ankara had extensive experience in international relations when it came to advancing institutional and collective initiatives, and that countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt each possessed significant capabilities and played important regional roles. While Ankara has invested heavily in its defence industry, championing the domestic production of advanced drones, missiles and jets, Pakistan possesses nuclear warheads, and Saudi Arabia is emerging as an important hub for advanced technologies. Egypt, as the most populous Arab nation, is seen as a pillar of the region because of its military capabilities. Turkey and Egypt signed a bilateral military agreement in February to deepen their cooperation in the security field during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Cairo. During the visit, Turkish arms supplier Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) signed a $350m export agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence, which included the sale of ammunition and the establishment of production lines in Egypt. War on Iran Ankara News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan held talks in Riyadh on Thursday, on the sideline of a summit of Islamic countries, and discussed ways to combine their strengths for the first time.Turkey has, since last year, been seeking a security pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, a Pakistani minister said in a statement that such a deal had been in the pipeline for nearly a year.Turkish sources familiar with the issue previously told Middle East Eye that Ankara was also trying to bring Egypt into the arrangement. The sources said the agreement would not mirror the guarantees and commitments of Nato, but would instead serve as a security platform to enable greater cooperation in the defence industry and broader defence matters."We are exploring how, as countries with a certain degree of influence in the region, we can combine our strengths to solve problems," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday."Above all, we have for some time been saying that the countries of the region should come together, hold discussions and develop ideas. We emphasise regional ownership."Fidan added that the countries were discussing the current situation in the region, including the US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran's counterattacks on Gulf countries, and considering what benefits their joint efforts could bring in addressing such challenges."In principle, we need to recognise this: either we come together and learn to solve our own problems ourselves, or an external hegemon will come and either impose solutions that serve its own interests, or do nothing while preventing others from acting," he said.While Ankara has repeatedly described Israel as the primary instigator of the war with Iran, a joint statement by the participating countries in Riyadh on Thursday strongly criticised Tehran for its attacks on the Gulf.The statement mentioned Israel only briefly, referring to its "expansionist" policy in Lebanon."We need to learn to trust one another. We need to act together on certain issues. We need to be able to adopt a common stance," Fidan said.He added that Ankara had extensive experience in international relations when it came to advancing institutional and collective initiatives, and that countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt each possessed significant capabilities and played important regional roles.While Ankara has invested heavily in its defence industry, championing the domestic production of advanced drones, missiles and jets, Pakistan possesses nuclear warheads, and Saudi Arabia is emerging as an important hub for advanced technologies.Egypt, as the most populous Arab nation, is seen as a pillar of the region because of its military capabilities.Turkey and Egypt signed a bilateral military agreement in February to deepen their cooperation in the security field during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Cairo. During the visit, Turkish arms supplier Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) signed a $350m export agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence, which included the sale of ammunition and the establishment of production lines in Egypt.
