Turkiye is reportedly seeking entry into a mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, potentially paving the way for a new security alignment that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond, Bloomberg reported Friday.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a \u201cStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u201d in Riyadh last September, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.<\/p>\n
Citing people familiar with the matter, who spoke anonymously, Bloomberg reported that the talks are at an advanced stage and \u201ca deal is very likely\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expanded alliance would make sense because Turkiye\u2019s interests increasingly overlap with those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in South Asia, the Middle East and even Africa,\u201d the report read.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkiye also sees the pact as a way of strengthening security and deterrents when there are questions over the reliability of the US, which has strong military ties with all three countries, and President Donald Trump\u2019s commitment to Nato.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report noted Riyadh\u2019s financial clout and Islamabad\u2019s nuclear capability, ballistic missiles, and manpower, with Turkiye offering military experience and a developed defence industry, according to Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist with the Ankara-based think tank TEPAV.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the US prioritises its own interests and that of Israel in the region, changing dynamics and fallout from regional conflicts are prompting countries to develop new mechanisms to identify friends and foes,\u201d Ozcan was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.<\/p>\n
The information ministry and Turkiye\u2019s defence ministry declined to comment. Saudi Arabian authorities weren\u2019t immediately available to respond to a request for comment to the American publication.<\/p>\n
New Era
\nAccording to Bloomberg, Turkiye joining the alliance would underscore a new era in relations with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter turning the page on years of rancour, the countries are working to develop economic and defence cooperation,\u201d the report read. \u201cThey held their first-ever naval meeting in Ankara this week, according to the Turkish defence ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report noted Riyadh and Ankara\u2019s longstanding concern over Tehran and their preference for engagement with the country rather than the use of force.<\/p>\n
With regard to Pakistan, Bloomberg noted Turkiye\u2019s construction of corvette warships for the Pakistan Navy and its work upgrading the Pakistan Air Force\u2019s fleet of F-16 fighter jets.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkiye is already sharing drone technology with both countries, and now wants them to join its Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet program,\u201d the outlet added, citing an earlier report.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trilateral defence talks come in the wake of a cease-fire between Pakistan and India that ended a four-day military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May,\u201d Bloomberg added.<\/p>\n
The report also acknowledged Pakistan\u2018s tensions with Afghanistan following border clashes, as well as Turkiye and Qatar\u2019s efforts to broker talks, which were inconclusive.<\/p>\n
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long shared a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage.<\/p>\n
These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkiye is reportedly seeking entry into a mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, potentially paving the way for a new security alignment that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond, Bloomberg reported Friday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a \u201cStrategic Mutual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15082,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15080\/revisions\/15082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}