Big Twist in Pakistan’s ‘Islamic NATO’! Turkey Clarifies Its Stand on Saudi Arabia and Iran

Islamabad: A new debate has erupted regarding the 'Makkah Joint Defence Agreement' signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. After the agreement, it was being described as a big step for regional security, but now the statement of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has raised many questions regarding its terms and scope. Fidan has made it clear that this agreement is not against any particular country.

According to his statement, under the agreement, a country will be considered a common threat only when it formally asks for help. This means that just because one member country is attacked, the other two countries will not automatically be forced to take military action.

What is the agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey?

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif signed this defense agreement in Mecca on Friday. The agreement was considered an important step towards strengthening defense cooperation between the three countries.

After this deal, such discussions also started that Saudi Arabia could get security cover from this amid increasing tension with Iran. Some people even started informally calling this alliance of the three countries 'Islamic NATO'.

However, Türkiye's Foreign Minister has now clarified that the agreement is not aimed at targeting any particular country.

Is Iran the target of this agreement?

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview to state news agency Anadolu that the agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey is not against Iran or any other country.

He said the three countries have not signed any document that defines any common enemy or threat. According to Fidan, the country which does not attack these three will not be considered their target.

This statement comes at a time when there has been long-standing tension and rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia at the regional level. In the recent conflict, there have also been claims of Iran targeting US military bases in Saudi territory.

Then what will happen if any one country is attacked?

Turkey's foreign minister described the arrangement of the agreement as technically similar to Article 5 of NATO, but the way it works is different.

According to Fidan, if one of the countries involved in the agreement suffers an attack, the aid will not be automatically implemented. The country concerned will have to formally request assistance. After this, options for help from the remaining member countries will be considered.

The nature of help will not be limited to military action alone. This may include intelligence sharing, logistics support or even deployment of military forces as needed.

Is this agreement similar to Article 5 of NATO?

Fidan has compared the defense agreement of the three countries to Article 5 of NATO. Under Article 5 of NATO, an armed attack on one member state is considered an attack on all members.

But the agreements between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye require a formal request for assistance. That is, instead of starting military response automatically after any incident, the decision will be taken based on the demand and circumstances of the member country.

Will regional strategy change amid increasing tension with Iran?

This agreement is being considered very important amid tensions between Iran and its neighbouring countries. Apart from Saudi Arabia's security concerns, Pakistan and Turkey have their own strategic priorities.

However, Turkey has made it clear that this agreement should not be seen as a military alliance against any one country. In such a situation, its real role in the coming times will be decided by what kind of help the three countries provide to each other in any possible crisis.

At present, Fidan's statement makes it clear that the 'Makkah Joint Defense Agreement' is not a deal that declares any particular country as an enemy, but is a framework to strengthen security cooperation between the three countries.