Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Egypt could join the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed recently by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. He also indicated that the agreement could eventually be expanded to include additional countries.
Erdogan made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, explaining that the three signatories would respond jointly if any of them came under an external armed attack. He said the agreement sends an important message regarding regional security and cooperation, while describing Egypt’s possible participation as one option for the pact’s future development.
The agreement was signed in Mecca last Friday by Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Under its main provision, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three, requiring a joint response.
