Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed regional issues during his participation in the “Editors’ Table” platform of Anadolu Agency:
◄ Fidan stated that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is technically equivalent to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty regarding collective defense.
◄ He pointed out that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement does not specify any specific “common threat.”
◄ Fidan added: “There is no country that does not attack us that is considered a target for us under the Joint Defense Agreement in Mecca.”
◄ The Turkish Foreign Minister clarified that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, signatories to the joint defense agreement in Mecca, are not expansionist countries.
◄ He stressed that President Erdogan’s vision aims to expand the joint defense agreement in Mecca beyond the three countries, and could include all countries of the region under this framework if necessary.
◄ Fidan said that the agreement will include military exercises and training sessions, noting that this is inherent in the nature of joint military alliances. Without it, operational compatibility or the ability to operate uniformly cannot be demonstrated.
◄ He expressed his belief that Egypt will also be part of the agreement in the next stage.