Turkey, Egypt discuss regional security and new defense pact

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the newly signed Mecca defense agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan as technically similar to the mutual defense principle found in Article 5 of the NATO charter. Fidan noted that the alliance, which will be headquartered in Saudi Arabia and include a ministerial committee, is not intended to target Iran or any other nation unless they attack the member states. He expressed the belief that Egypt may join the alliance in the future.

In a separate diplomatic development, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan held a phone call to discuss bilateral relations and regional stability. The ministers emphasized the need for de-escalation in the region and discussed the Palestinian issue, calling for an immediate halt to escalation in the occupied territories and supporting the implementation of peace plans that include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. They also condemned violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.