Ankara, August 8: Türkiye has indicated that Egypt could potentially join the trilateral defence agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, signalling the possibility of a broader regional security partnership.
Türkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said in an interview with CNN Türk on Saturday that Egypt could become part of the defence framework in the future.
“Expansion is certainly possible in the future,” Yilmaz said, describing Egypt as a strong country whose participation could be important for such a regional security arrangement.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday. According to Turkish media reports, the agreement includes provisions for intelligence sharing and cooperation on regional security matters.
West Asia affairs expert Yusuf Ener told RIA Novosti that the military and strategic capabilities of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could complement one another. Türkiye has a strong defence industry and military capabilities, Saudi Arabia has significant financial and energy resources, while Pakistan has a large armed forces structure and nuclear capabilities.
Ener said that if the trilateral framework becomes institutionalised, the possibility of other regional countries joining the arrangement cannot be ruled out. He suggested that such an expansion could potentially create a new security framework stretching from Anatolia to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
According to Ener, the agreement also reportedly contains a provision under which an armed attack against any one of the three participating countries would be considered an attack against all members. If implemented as described, such a clause would take the arrangement beyond conventional defence cooperation and towards a mutual security guarantee.
A similar collective-defence principle exists within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), whose members are committed to providing collective security in the event of an armed attack against a member state.
The possibility of Egypt joining the framework could further broaden the emerging security partnership and increase its strategic significance across the Middle East and surrounding regions.
