Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Egypt could become part of the joint defence agreement recently signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, describing Cairo’s inclusion as a possibility and indicating that the pact could expand in the future.
Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera’s programme Al Muqabala (The Interview), Erdogan said that the agreement requires member states to take collective action if any signatory comes under external attack.
“This agreement has sent an important message to the world,” Erdogan said, adding that Egypt’s participation remained one of the options being considered.
The agreement, also known as the Makkah Pact, was signed in Makkah last week by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Erdogan.
Under the agreement, an attack on one member state would be treated as an attack on all three. The provision has drawn comparisons with NATO’s Article 5, although Pakistani officials have said that the agreement should not be viewed as a NATO-style alliance or as a pact directed against any specific country.
During the interview, Erdogan also discussed regional developments, including tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the conflicts in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon.
He said reopening the Strait of Hormuz remained a priority for Ankara, arguing that keeping the waterway closed was not in anyone’s interest. He also credited Qatar for its mediation efforts aimed at ending regional conflicts.
Addressing the situation in Syria, Erdogan said Turkiye would continue supporting stability in the country and revealed plans to visit Syria. He added that Syrian Kurdish communities would have “a share of peace and stability” and said Ankara would continue strengthening ties with Kurdish groups while protecting their rights.
On Gaza, Erdogan said Turkiye “cannot leave Gaza alone” and would continue supporting the territory. He also claimed that Hamas was fulfilling its commitments while Israel continued its military campaign.
Speaking about Lebanon, Erdogan described continued Israeli attacks as a matter of concern for Turkiye. He said he had discussed the issue with United States (US) President Donald Trump during the latter’s recent visit to Turkiye and had emphasised Washington’s role in helping bring the conflict to an end.
Erdogan also touched on Turkiye’s relations with the European Union, saying membership was no longer among Ankara’s priorities and adding that Europe would ultimately be “the loser.”
He further said that Trump had promised progress on the issue of F-35 fighter jets and that he was waiting for that commitment to be fulfilled.
Turkiye was removed from the F-35 programme in 2019 after purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defence system. The United States argued that the system could compromise the fighter jet’s technology.
Last month, Trump said his administration would remove sanctions imposed on Turkiye in 2020 over the S-400 purchase and added that Washington would consider Ankara’s return to the F-35 programme.
However, any future deal could still face opposition in the US Congress, while a 2020 law continues to prohibit the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkiye as long as it retains the S-400 system.
