Middle East Eye: Saudi Arabia has opposed Egypt joining the Mecca Agreement
Middle East Eye, citing three informed Saudi sources about the negotiations, reported that Saudi Arabia has opposed Egypt joining a joint defense agreement with Turkey and Pakistan, at least under the current circumstances, despite Ankara’s significant efforts to include Cairo in this pact.
According to these sources, Riyadh’s opposition stems from increased dissatisfaction with the government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Egypt’s close relations with the UAE on one hand, and on the other hand, Saudi Arabia’s assessment of the reduced strategic and military value of Egypt.
Saudi sources have stated that Riyadh believes Turkey and Pakistan have more military capacity to offer to this alliance. Turkey has an advanced defense industry, and Pakistan has a large military force and a well-established arms industry.
These sources also claimed that Saudi Arabia is dissatisfied with Egypt’s performance in some regional cases, including the Yemen war and recent regional developments, and Cairo’s closeness to Abu Dhabi has further increased Riyadh’s distrust.
In contrast, Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, described Egypt as a natural partner for this alliance and stated that after resolving technical issues, Cairo could join the Mecca Agreement. Turkish sources have also said that Ankara has made efforts for Egypt’s participation in this pact.
However, Saudi sources have emphasized that Riyadh’s opposition is not permanent, and if conditions change, there is a possibility of reconsidering Egypt’s membership in the future.