News Desk
ANKARA: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the defence agreement between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was based on the principle of collective defence outlined in Article 5 of the Nato treaty, while stressing that the arrangement was not aimed at Iran.
Speaking in Ankara, Fidan said the proposed framework was intended to strengthen security cooperation and contribute to stability across the region. He said the agreement should not be interpreted as an effort to target any particular country.
Fidan said the three countries were working towards a security framework based on mutual defence commitments. Under the principle, an armed attack against one participating country would be treated as an attack against all, reflecting the collective defence concept associated with Nato’s Article 5.
He said the proposed arrangement would also have an institutional structure. A ministerial committee would oversee political and strategic coordination, while a general secretariat would provide an administrative mechanism for cooperation.
According to Fidan, the secretariat would be based in Saudi Arabia. The proposed structure was expected to provide a permanent framework for communication and coordination between the participating countries.
The Turkish foreign minister also said Egypt could join the alliance once technical issues had been resolved. Its possible participation would broaden the proposed security framework and add another major regional power to the arrangement.
Fidan’s comments came amid growing attention to the emerging defence relationship between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The three countries have maintained close political and military contacts and have increasingly discussed cooperation on regional security.
