Pakistan Calls for Expansion of Saudi-Turkey Defence Pact, Raising Questions Over a New Regional Security Bloc

Photo: Khawaja Muhammad Asif, U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain | Jihad Watch

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called on Muslim-majority countries to set aside their bilateral differences and join the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Speaking to Geo News, Asif argued that the agreement should not remain an “exclusive club” and should instead expand into a broader security framework for Islamic nations.

“The doors really cannot be closed to other countries. This should not be an exclusive club — this is my personal opinion. It should expand,” Asif said. He further suggested that Muslim-majority countries should establish a collective security mechanism along the lines of NATO by putting aside transactional disagreements and bilateral disputes and standing together on a common platform.

The call comes after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The agreement is being viewed by analysts as a potentially significant development in the security architecture of the Middle East and wider Muslim world, particularly at a time of heightened regional tensions involving Iran, Israel, the Gulf states and the United States.

The agreement builds on an earlier defence arrangement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the new framework as comparable in principle to NATO's collective-defence mechanism. A central provision states that an armed attack against any one of the three participating countries would be treated as an attack against all three, creating a formal commitment to collective security.

The combination of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey gives the arrangement considerable strategic weight. Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons and maintains a large and increasingly modernised military, while Saudi Arabia occupies a central position in the Gulf and is home to Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina. Turkey, meanwhile, is a major regional military power and a NATO member with an increasingly independent foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The proposed expansion of the pact could therefore have implications well beyond the three original signatories. If additional Muslim-majority countries join, the agreement could evolve into a broader regional defence framework capable of influencing security calculations across the Middle East, South Asia and the Mediterranean. Such a development would also create a new strategic dynamic alongside existing alliances and rivalries involving NATO, the United States, Iran and Israel.

The emergence of this arrangement is particularly significant because of the changing balance of power in the region. Iran's influence has traditionally been supported by a network of partners and aligned groups across the Middle East, while Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have increasingly sought stronger security partnerships of their own. A formal defence arrangement involving Pakistan and Turkey could provide Saudi Arabia with additional military and strategic depth.

Turkey's participation is especially noteworthy because of its existing position within NATO. Ankara's growing emphasis on strategic autonomy has occasionally placed it at odds with other NATO members, even as Turkey remains an important member of the alliance. Its participation in a separate collective-defence framework involving major Muslim-majority states could create a more complicated strategic environment for Western policymakers.

For the United States and European countries, the development presents both opportunities and challenges. Washington maintains close security relationships with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, while Pakistan has historically played an important role in regional security. At the same time, a broader defence coalition could make the foreign-policy calculations of these countries more complex, particularly if the alliance develops positions that differ from those of Western partners.

Israel would also have to closely monitor the evolution of the agreement. The country already faces a difficult regional security environment, particularly following the October 7 attacks and the subsequent conflicts and tensions involving Iran and its regional partners. A larger defence arrangement connecting Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and potentially other Muslim-majority countries could introduce another factor into Israel's long-term strategic planning.

Some analysts have consequently suggested that countries concerned about the changing regional balance should strengthen their own partnerships. Potential cooperation among Israel, Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as growing strategic ties involving Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates, could become increasingly important as regional alliances evolve.

At the same time, the extent to which the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement will develop into a NATO-style organisation remains uncertain. The effectiveness of any larger alliance would depend on the willingness of participating countries to coordinate military policy, share intelligence, commit resources and actually respond collectively during a crisis. The participating states also have different national interests, foreign-policy priorities and relationships with major global powers.

Nevertheless, Khawaja Asif's call for the pact to expand demonstrates that Pakistan sees the agreement as potentially more than a limited bilateral or trilateral security arrangement. If other countries respond positively, the initiative could mark the beginning of a wider security network among Muslim-majority nations. Such a development would reshape regional strategic calculations and require the United States, Europe, Israel and other major powers to reassess their alliances and security policies across the region.

The most important question now is whether the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement remains a three-country arrangement or becomes the foundation for a much broader collective-security framework. Its future expansion, the countries that could eventually join, and the practical commitments they are willing to make will determine whether it becomes a symbolic partnership or develops into a significant new force in regional geopolitics.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)