Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan Forge Defense Pact with NATO-Style Article 5 Clause

On Friday, August 9 in Mecca, leaders of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed a defense pact featuring a mutual defense clause modeled after NATO’s Article 5.

Signing of the Defense Agreement in Mecca

The agreement was signed on Friday, August 9, in Mecca by Crown Prince and Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Structure Comparable to NATO

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the defense pact signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, comparing its provisions to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, also known as NATO’s casus foederis. It triggers military assistance from allies in the event of an attack on any member state, treating such an assault as an attack on all alliance nations. According to Fidan, the agreement entails the creation of a committee of ministers modeled after the North Atlantic Council within NATO, as well as a general secretariat based in Saudi Arabia.

Potential Expansion to Include Egypt

Egypt may yet join the pact, with Fidan emphasizing that Turkish leader Erdogan himself supports expanding the agreement to include the country centered in Cairo. The Turkish foreign chief stated that their president’s vision is not to limit the pact to three countries, but to develop and gather all regional nations under one roof, adding that Egypt will be able to join the pact after resolving certain technical issues.

Nature and Capabilities of the New Alliance

Reuters, which first reported on the alliance, recalled that recently Iran and its Shia allies have stepped up shelling toward Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, which—like all signatories of the Mecca agreement—are predominantly Sunni. The issue extends beyond religious denomination, as Saudi Arabia continues to cooperate with the United States, Tehran’s primary adversary alongside Israel, primarily in energy matters, which makes Saudi refineries and oil installations the main targets of Iranian shelling. Although it seems obvious, the Turkish Foreign Ministry denies that the new alliance has an anti-Iranian edge, yet it possesses significant military potential, comprising Turkey with NATO’s second-largest army, nuclear-armed Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil exporters.