Analysis / Wajahat Ali Khan
Egypt has not been included in the newly signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, but officials have indicated that Cairo could join the alliance in the future.
The pact, signed on August 7, commits the three members to mutual defence, meaning an armed attack on one country would be regarded as an attack on all three. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance is open to expansion and that Egypt is a potential future member once certain technical matters are resolved.
Egypt’s absence appears to be linked not to a political exclusion, but to unresolved technical and institutional arrangements concerning its possible membership. Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have already been cooperating through an emerging four-country grouping on regional security issues. The Makkah Pact is therefore currently a three-country defence arrangement, while Egypt remains a likely candidate for future expansion.
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