Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that the Makkah defence alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was established to promote peace, security and stability in the region, with key decisions already taken to put the alliance into practice.
Speaking to journalists aboard his plane after returning from Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan said a meeting of the alliance’s strategic, political and military committees in Istanbul marked an important step toward operationalizing the grouping.
The meeting was attended by the foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Erdogan said the participants agreed on several issues, including establishing and activating the alliance’s secretariat and strengthening political and military cooperation.
He said discussions also covered defence industry cooperation, military training, coordination of military standards, assessment of security threats, resources and the exchange of military capabilities.
Erdogan said very few countries have openly criticized the Makkah alliance, although some have expressed concerns privately. He said the balance among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye had made it difficult for various actors to openly oppose the alliance.
“The Makkah alliance aims to promote peace, security and stability in the region,” Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye would continue strengthening cooperation with its brotherly countries.
Erdogan also said Türkiye wants to further expand its economic and political relations with member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
He said Türkiye’s ties with the organization would likely grow further while Pakistan holds the SCO chairmanship, strengthening Ankara’s position within the grouping.
Türkiye already maintains extensive bilateral trade and economic relations with SCO member states, Erdogan said.
He described the region stretching from China and Central Asia to Russia and South Asia as offering significant opportunities for trade and economic cooperation.
Erdogan stressed that Türkiye’s expanding engagement with the SCO should not be interpreted as a move away from the West. Instead, he described it as part of Ankara’s balanced and multilateral foreign policy.
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He said Türkiye’s goal was to increase its global political, economic and strategic influence through what he called a “360-degree vision.”
