Egypt declined to join a new defense pact linking Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite sustained efforts by Ankara to bring Cairo into the agreement, as Egyptian officials weighed sensitive ties with Israel, the United Arab Emirates and other regional partners, Middle East Eye reports.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Mecca on Friday to sign the agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, with Turkish officials keeping the trip off his public schedule. People familiar with the matter said Ankara feared that publicizing the visit could give outside powers an opportunity to disrupt the signing.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara had spent two years working to bring the parties together. While the agreement leaves specific military commitments vague, it includes a collective-defense clause resembling NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack against one member is treated as an attack against all.
Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia had already been holding regular foreign-minister-level consultations in recent months under a framework known as the “Regional Four.” Turkish officials had initially envisioned a trilateral treaty, but Egypt later emerged as a natural candidate for inclusion because of its military strength and growing alignment with Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on issues including Gaza and developments in Africa.
An Ankara-based source said Turkey formally proposed Egyptian participation and made considerable efforts to bring Cairo into the pact. Once it became clear that Egypt was not prepared to join, however, the other countries decided to proceed without it.
Fidan sought to play down Cairo’s decision, saying he believes Egypt could still join at a later stage. He said the countries are already operating in many ways as though they are part of the same alliance and described the remaining obstacles as technical issues.
One source said Egypt’s hesitation was driven in large part by its sensitive relationship with Israel. Egypt is a U.S. ally, shares a border with Israel and maintains full diplomatic relations with it, meaning Cairo would have to carefully manage Israeli pressure if it joined the pact.
Egypt is also caught between growing tensions involving Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Cairo has a defense agreement with Abu Dhabi and deployed Rafale fighter jets in response to Iranian strikes against the UAE in May. Staying outside the new alliance gives Egypt greater room to maneuver between competing regional camps.
According to one source, Cairo does not want to be forced to choose between an emerging bloc of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on one side and Israel, the UAE and India on the other. Egypt also remains interested in expanding commercial ties with India while continuing to rely on financial support from Abu Dhabi.
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