PACT BUILDS ON LONGSTANDING MILITARY TIES
The Middle East has been in flames for nearly three years since the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, with nearly every country in the region experiencing cross-border attacks or missile or drone fire.
Israel has waged war in Gaza, invaded southern Lebanon and seized territory in Syria as well as launching two air campaigns against Iran.
Tehran has attacked US bases and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Jordan and Israel.
While Türkiye and Pakistan, on the borders of the Middle East, have avoided significant direct attacks, both are anxious to calm conflicts that threaten their own security and economic health.
For Saudi Arabia, the consequences of three years of Middle East conflicts have been more severe — imperilling its oil exports and ambitious development plans and drawing big questions over the reliability of its longstanding US security umbrella.
It expects imminent coordinated attacks from both the Iraqi militias and the Houthis under Iranian supervision, a senior Saudi official said on Thursday, underscoring Riyadh’s focus on expanding its alliances.
Sealing Friday’s agreement in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, adds symbolic heft to a pact that builds on longstanding bilateral military ties among the three countries.
Mansoor Ahmed, of the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said Pakistan and Türkiye bring strong defence industries to the table, while Saudi Arabia could contribute with technological spending.
However, the accord would likely not include a nuclear component with Pakistan’s atomic deterrent focused on what it sees as the threat from India, Ahmed added.
Pakistan has provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Türkiye and Pakistan have exchanged warships and training aircraft.
In 2023, Riyadh agreed to buy Turkish drones in what Ankara called its largest defence export contract.
Pakistan has since deployed about 8,000 troops, fighter jets, drones and an air-defence system to the kingdom, Reuters reported in May, and has pursued wider Gulf security ties.
It has opened negotiations with Kuwait over an expanded pact in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, Reuters reported in July.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Read the full article here
