Turkiye is at an advanced stage of discussions to join the strategic defense pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, with an expectation of the talks concluding with a deal, according to a report published by Bloomberg.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said Turkiye’s potential inclusion in the pact would pave the way for a new security alignment that “could shift the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond.”
Last year, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement stating that an attack on either nation would be seen as an act of aggression against both.
According to Bloomberg, Turkiye is considering joining the pact amid questions over the reliability of the U.S., and Ankara’s increasingly overlapping interests with those of Riyadh and Islamabad in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Pakistan and Turkiye already have longstanding military relations, with both countries cooperating on a number of defense projects. Ankara currently supplies the Pakistan Navy with corvette warships, and has upgraded numerous F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force. It also shares drone technology with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and is looking to involve both countries in its Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet program.
Bloomberg said Turkiye joining the alliance would also underscore a new era in ties with Saudi Arabia. “After turning the page on years of rancor, the countries are working to develop economic and defense cooperation,” it said. “They held their first-ever naval meeting in Ankara this week, according to the Turkish defense ministry,” it said, noting Riyadh and Ankara’s longstanding concern over Tehran and their preference for engagement with the country rather than the use of force.
Following the signing of the agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had said that more nations wanted to sign a similar agreement with Islamabad. “Our defense pact with Saudi Arabia is significant. More countries now want to sign a similar agreement with us,” he told the National Assembly, adding it could potentially transform into a new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or Eastern NATO.