Jeddah Axis Was Close to Adding a Powerful Partner — Until Israel Stepped In | Report

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed a security agreement in Jeddah with a joint defense mechanism. Egypt was invited but declined at this stage, partly due to its relations with Israel and regional tensions. The report cites Turkish sources and Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan, who expresses hope that Egypt will join in the future.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed a security agreement last Friday in the city of Jeddah, including a joint defense mechanism. Egypt was invited to join but declined at this stage, partly due to its sensitive relations with Israel and regional tensions. This was reported by a news site, citing Turkish sources in Ankara familiar with the discussions. According to the report, in recent months, officials from Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia held regular consultations at the foreign ministers level within a group called the 'Regional Quartet.' The moves sparked anger in Israel. A senior Turkish official said: 'We are trying to keep the Egyptians and Saudis in this framework, while the Israelis are constantly trying to pressure them.' The Turkish officials initially planned a trilateral agreement, but later Egypt became a natural candidate to join. Turkey invested significant efforts to bring Egypt on board and even formally offered it participation, but when it became clear that Egypt was not ready, the others decided to proceed without it. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview on Saturday: 'I believe that in the next stage, Egypt will also be part of the alliance. We are already acting as if we are members of the alliance; there are some technical issues. Once they are resolved, there is no reason Egypt won't be there.' In the background is the growing tension between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Egypt has a defense agreement with Abu Dhabi and deployed Rafale fighter jets in response to Iranian attacks against the UAE in May. According to the report, a source in Ankara claimed that this situation caused Saudi Arabia to view Egypt as an unreliable partner. Cairo does not hold a broader strategic vision and is interested in deepening its commercial ties with New Delhi and relies on financial aid from Abu Dhabi. Turkish officials hope that Cairo will join in the future.