‘Islamic NATO’ in the making? Turkey, Saudi, Egypt and Pakistan aim for new strategic bloc

According to a report in Middle East Eye, the foreign ministers of the four countries held talks on the sidelines of the Riyadh summit of Islamic countries.

Turkey Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said talks began post the US-Israel war on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks | X/@steve_hanke

New Delhi: Close on the heels of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signing a defence pact, contents of which are yet to be revealed, both countries along with Turkey and Egypt are working on a new bloc.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that this will be a security platform that will enable greater cooperation in the defence industry and “broader defence matters”.

According to a report in Middle East Eye, the foreign ministers of these four countries held talks on the sidelines of the Riyadh summit of Islamic countries. “We are exploring how, as countries with a certain degree of influence in the region, we can combine our strengths to solve problems,” Fidan said Saturday.

The development came close on the heels of reports in January of Turkey wanting to join the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact. While Turkey did not confirm any such development, Pakistan said it had been in the pipeline for a year. 

Turkey, according to the report, had wanted to bring Egypt into this security arrangement which “would not mirror the guarantees and commitments of NATO, but would instead serve as a security platform to enable greater cooperation in the defence industry and broader defence matters.”

The Turkish FM added that these discussions began post the US-Israel war on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries and Turkey. 

“In principle, we need to recognise this: either we come together and learn to solve our own problems ourselves, or an external hegemon will come and either impose solutions that serve its own interests, or do nothing while preventing others from acting.” 

Ankara has earlier condemned Iranian strikes and called it the primary instigator of the war. Pakistan shares close “brotherly relations” with Turkey. Moreover, Pakistan last week joined the Arab-Islamic states in condemning Iran’s retaliatory military strikes across the Gulf, calling on Tehran to “halt its attacks” and warning that the “future of bilateral relations would depend on respect for sovereignty and non-interference”.

The condemnation spotlights the growing alliance among Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan against the backdrop of Pakistan’s Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia, signed last September. The three countries have increasingly strengthened cooperation around shared diplomatic and security concerns. 

Their partnership took shape following the 2020 Karabakh war, after which the three nations launched a trilateral cooperation framework. Then, in June 2021, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed the Shusha Declaration. Pakistan was the first nation to join this strategic alliance.

The latest statement, endorsed by foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Turkey and Azerbaijan, denounced Iran’s actions as “unjustifiable” and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. It also warned of the threat Tehran’s actions posed to key maritime routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz which is critical to global energy supplies.

The statement mentioned Israel only briefly, referring to its “expansionist” policy in Lebanon.

“We need to learn to trust one another. We need to act together on certain issues. We need to be able to adopt a common stance,” Fidan said.

While Pakistan and Saudi have a defence agreement, Turkey and Egypt signed a bilateral military agreement in February.

(Edited by Tony Rai)