Mecca defence pact will be a ‘Game-Changing Platform’: Türkiye

The newly formed three-nation Mecca Defence Alliance involving Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is moving towards institutionalisation and will become a “very game-changing platform”, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said.

Speaking to Turkish broadcaster NTV on Saturday (September 19), Fidan said the alliance had reached an advanced stage, with preparations for establishing its secretariat and an affiliated military headquarters “almost complete”.

He said the three founding countries had reached a common understanding on how the two structures would operate. The next step, according to Fidan, is to deploy personnel and make the headquarters operational.

“The Mecca Alliance is really at a good stage. There’s a very strong will that has been put forward,” Fidan said, adding that Türkiye was working to translate the political decision into practical measures.

Fidan also indicated that the alliance could expand after its institutional structure is fully established. He described it as an alliance open to countries in the region and said the broader objective was to bring more regional states together under a common defence framework.

According to the Turkish foreign minister, the initiative is not intended to create a military bloc against outside countries. Rather, he said, its stated objective is to strengthen regional cooperation, build trust and address regional security problems through regional mechanisms.

“The basic point of departure for all of this is the search for regional solutions to regional problems,” Fidan said.

Fidan also said the member states have responsibilities toward one another under the agreement. Referring to recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, he said the three countries were assessing the situation together and maintaining solidarity under the alliance framework.

The alliance has faced criticism from some countries and commentators who have questioned its effectiveness so soon after its formation. Fidan rejected the criticism, arguing that the agreement was signed only recently and that institutional arrangements were already progressing.

The alliance's first institutional steps were taken at a meeting in Istanbul on August 31, where Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to establish a secretariat under the defence pact.