Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said six to seven additional Muslim-majority nations are interested in joining the Mecca Defence Pact [1].
The potential expansion of the pact suggests a shift toward broader collective security and strategic coordination among Islamic states. This move comes as the original trilateral agreement seeks to establish a defensive framework across different regions of the Muslim world.
The announcement followed a trilateral meeting in Istanbul on Monday involving senior diplomats from Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia [1, 2]. The officials discussed the strategic coordination underpinning the pact, which the member states present as a purely defensive arrangement [3, 4].
The Mecca Defence Pact was signed in early August [5]. The agreement initially established a security partnership between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey to reinforce mutual stability.
During the discussions in Istanbul, diplomats said the pact remains open to any countries that uphold its core principles [3]. The current interest from other nations indicates a desire to broaden the security umbrella beyond the three founding members.
Turkish officials said they want to draw more countries into the framework to strengthen the collective security architecture [4]. The expansion would link military and strategic interests across the Middle East and South Asia, creating a larger bloc of coordinated defense policies.
While the specific identities of the interested nations were not disclosed, the scale of interest represents a significant diplomatic development for the newly formed alliance [1].
“Six to seven additional Muslim-majority nations are interested in joining the Mecca Defence Pact.”
The growth of the Mecca Defence Pact indicates an effort by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to create a non-Western security pillar. By expanding the membership, these nations are attempting to institutionalize a collective defense mechanism that reduces reliance on external superpowers for regional stability.
