Turkey seeks to join Pakistan-Saudi Defence Agreement: Report

ANKARA: Turkey is reportedly seeking to join a defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a potential move that could create a new military bloc in the Middle East, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) on 17 September 2025. Under the pact, an attack on either country is treated as an act of aggression against both.

Bloomberg reported that talks between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are at an “advanced stage” and that a deal is considered very likely.

“The expanded alliance would make sense because Turkey’s interests increasingly overlap with those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in South Asia, the Middle East, and even Africa,” the report said.

“Turkey also views the pact as a way to strengthen security and deterrence amid concerns over the reliability of the US, which maintains strong military ties with all three countries, and questions regarding President Donald Trump’s commitment to NATO,” the report added.

Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at Ankara-based think tank TEPAV, said: “As the US prioritises its own interests and those of Israel in the region, changing dynamics and the fallout from regional conflicts are prompting countries to develop new mechanisms to identify friends and foes.”

According to Bloomberg, Turkey’s potential inclusion in the alliance would mark a new era in its relations with Saudi Arabia. Pakistan and Turkey already maintain longstanding military cooperation, collaborating on several defence projects.

Ankara is supplying Pakistan’s Navy with corvette warships and has upgraded numerous F-16 fighter jets for the Pakistan Air Force. Turkey currently shares drone technology with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and is reportedly seeking to involve them in its Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet programme, the report said.

Weeks after the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia agreement was signed, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had indicated that other countries were also interested in signing similar defence agreements with Islamabad.