ANKARA, 12 August 2026 (Kamran Raja): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed hope that more countries will join the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed last week by Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, saying the alliance could eventually expand to include countries across the region.Speaking to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily, Erdogan said the vision behind the agreement was not limited to the three founding countries. He said appropriate conditions could emerge in the future for all countries in the region to come under its umbrella.The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed last Friday as the Middle East continues to face the consequences of the US-Iran war, which has involved regional players and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had earlier said that Turkiye expected Egypt to join the agreement at the next stage, adding that only a few technical issues remained. Egypt has not officially commented on the proposal. Fidan is scheduled to visit Cairo on Thursday and Friday.Erdogan said the agreement had emerged from the “new circumstances” in the Middle East, with regional countries seeking to take greater responsibility for their own security and stability. He stressed that regional issues should be resolved by regional actors rather than through externally imposed formulas.The agreement has been welcomed by the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation as an important strategic step. Kuwait, Bahrain and Somalia are among the countries that have also welcomed the pact, while Iran has expressed support for security mechanisms based on cooperation among regional countries.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed that the defence agreement is entirely defensive in nature and is not aimed at aggression against any country. He said its objective is to promote peace, progress and prosperity in the region.The agreement builds on the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement previously signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh last September, under which an attack on either country would be treated as an act of aggression against both.Pakistan has also been seeking diplomatic efforts to help end the US-Iran conflict, while Turkiye has continued to play a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza