Erdoğan signals wider regional defence alliance

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Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggests that the new defence treaty between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan might be expanded to include additional regional countries, including Egypt.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, incorporates a mutual-defence premise in which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. Turkish officials compared the clause to NATO's Article 5.

Turkey has stated that the pact is not intended at any specific country and is open to regional countries desiring increased security and stability.

Egypt is now considered the most likely inclusion, but analysts have also named Qatar, Syria, and the UAE as potential future members.