Why Egypt held back from joining Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's defence pact

Why Egypt held back from joining Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's defence pact Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Mon, 08/10/2026 - 15:21 Despite sustained Turkish efforts, Cairo declined to join as it sought to balance its security ties with Israel and the UAE Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi greets India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi next to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a group photo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 18 November 2024 (Ludovic Marin/AFP) Off When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travelled to Mecca on Friday to sign a security pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia , Turkish officials chose to keep the trip secret. The visit did not appear on Erdogan's official schedule. Instead, the three countries decided abruptly on Tuesday that the signing ceremony would take place on Friday.