Egypt could become the latest country to join a new joint defense pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, potentially expanding what some analysts have dubbed an “Islamic NATO.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Egypt’s participation was possible and that the agreement remains open to additional members.
Erdoğan made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic ahead of the broadcast of its program Al-Muqabala on Sunday.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Makkah Pact on Friday in the holy city of Makkah. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three, requiring a coordinated response.
The arrangement has drawn comparisons with Article 5 of NATO, which commits NATO members to collective defense. However, Pakistani officials have cautioned against portraying the agreement as a direct equivalent of NATO or as an alliance targeting any particular country.
Erdoğan said the pact sends an important message and could eventually be expanded to include other countries. He specifically identified Egypt as a potential future participant.
The possible expansion comes as regional tensions remain high, with disputes and conflicts involving Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, Syria, Gaza and Lebanon continuing to shape security calculations across the Middle East.
If Egypt eventually joins, the pact would bring together four major Muslim-majority countries with significant military and geopolitical influence, potentially giving the emerging defense framework greater regional weight.
