Turkiye says Egypt could join Mecca defence pact in its next phase

Turkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, says Egypt could join the landmark mutual defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, signed in Mecca.

Fidan told the Anadolu agency’s “Editors’ Desk” programme that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s vision is to widen the pact to other countries in the region. 

However, the deal – which says an attack on one would be considered an attack on all three – will only be a defensive arrangement, and they have no expansionist ambitions, he said.