Mecca Agreement gives Turkey new leverage and risk in equal measure

Mecca Agreement gives Turkey new leverage and risk in equal measure Submitted by Fatma Menal Akın on Tue, 08/25/2026 - 09:04 The collective defence commitment has evoked comparisons with Nato, but the three countries still face major political, operational and technological hurdles A woman walks past armoured vehicles at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul, 9 May 2017 (Yasin Akgul/AFP) Off The defence pact signed by Turkey , Saudi Arabia and Pakistan , known for now as the Mecca Agreement , has laid down a firm statement of political intent: to sharpen regional deterrence, and to put the burden of the region's security back in the hands of the region itself. Yet the collective defence promise at the heart of the pact raises as many questions as it answers. Its central clause, that an attack on one member is to be treated as an attack on all, has fuelled expectations that the three countries could build a Nato-style deterrent of their own.