The decision also relates to Cairo’s regional ties and its strong economic relationship with India.
New Delhi: Turkey has joined a new defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, while Egypt, which was earlier considered for the agreement, has chosen to stay away.
Turkey had kept President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Riyadh under wraps and did not disclose that Ankara was preparing to join the Saudi-Pakistan defence arrangement. The pact was signed after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Saudi Arabia on August 6. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday (August 8) that Ankara had spent the past two years trying to bring all the countries involved into a security agreement.
Announcing the agreement on Friday (August 7), Saudi minister Raed Krimly said it would help the three countries “develop joint defence capabilities, strengthen strategic deterrence, increase preparedness and develop their respective defence capabilities”.
Iran responded soon after the pact was announced. “Egypt has a peace treaty with Israel. Egypt was the first Arab country to recognise Israel. Egypt has very close relations with the UAE. Egypt has avoided joining a grouping in which one member, Pakistan, does not recognise Israel and has hostile relations with India. There is also distrust between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The proposed corridor was planned to connect India with Europe through shipping routes and rail links passing through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Greece. The Mecca agreement has also drawn reactions across the region. India’s Foreign Ministry gave a measured response, saying it was closely watching the developments. The statement comes against the background of India’s long-standing sensitivity to Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities.
Before the Gaza war began in 2023, India announced the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
Turkey had made efforts to keep Egypt and Saudi Arabia involved in the grouping, which has been named as “Regional Four”, where officials from Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia had held regular foreign minister-level talks, according to his report. Egypt does not want to choose a side in such a situation,” she said. A member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee dismissed the agreement and said a deal between Turkey and Pakistan on paper could not provide Saudi Arabia with more security than its decades-long dependence on the United States.
