New 3-Way Defense Pact Is Like Article 5, Turkey Says

Turkey's top diplomat says a new Middle East defense deal mirrors the core of NATO's security promise. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday described the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement among Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia as "technically" equivalent to NATO's Article 5, meaning an attack on one would be treated as an attack on all. The three Sunni-led US partners say the pact is meant to bolster deterrence during regional tensions, including Iranian missile strikes on Gulf oil exporters, Reuters reports. Fidan told Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency the agreement is not aimed at Iran or any specific country, framing it instead as a broad guarantee of mutual security.

"We don't have anything written down—nothing we've signed—that defines a common threat," he said, per the AP. "Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us." Allies would consult on what kind of support to provide if one is attacked, Fidan said. The deal, nearly three years in the making, is open to additional countries and not intended to supplant NATO or other alliances, Fidan said. A ministerial committee and a Saudi-based secretariat are planned, per Reuters, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for expansion, with Egypt mentioned as a possible future member.