ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan this week held talks in Riyadh on the sideline of a summit of Islamic countries and discussed ways to combine their strengths for the first time, the Middle East Eye reported on Saturday, amid an ongoing conflict in the region.
Since last year, Turkiye has been seeking a security pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, while a Pakistani minister said in January this year that such a deal had been in the pipeline for nearly a year.
The meeting came as Iran continues to attack US interests as well as oil and other infrastructure in Gulf states in response to continued US-Israel air strikes against Tehran since Feb. 28.
“We are exploring how, as countries with a certain degree of influence in the region, we can combine our strengths to solve problems,” Middle East Eye, a UK-based news website, quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as saying.
“Above all, we have for some time been saying that the countries of the region should come together, hold discussions and develop ideas. We emphasize regional ownership.”
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Egypt did not comment on the discussions held in Riyadh.
Fidan’s comments came months after Pakistan’s Minister for Defense Production Raza Hayat Harraj told Reuters a potential deal between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was separate from a bilateral Saudi-Pakistani accord announced last year, though it required a final consensus between the three states.
Turkiye had been trying to bring Egypt into the arrangement, Middle East Eye reported, citing Turkish sources. The agreement would serve as a basis for greater cooperation in the defense industry and broader defense matters.
Fidan also said the countries were discussing the current situation in the region, including the US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran’s counterattacks on Gulf countries, and considering what benefits their joint efforts could bring in addressing such challenges.
